


SDHSL Smartass

by AnotherStatsGuy



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, References To Others - Fandom
Genre: Computer References, Eventual Crossover, F/M, Historical References, Humor, Suspense, music references, video game references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-20 03:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17614253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherStatsGuy/pseuds/AnotherStatsGuy
Summary: AU: AU: In which Naegi doesn't get knocked out by Oowada's punch, but is merely dazed. And the character development takes over from there. (Currently Naezono due to story's development) Are you ready to have your emotions ping-pong like your canon experience? Author's Notes contain information. References abound. Sequel will be a crossover. (When I get to it.)*Only tagged DR1's Characters (well, most of them) in order to avoid spoiling who lives and dies





	1. Pop Fly

**Author's Note:**

> This was written back in late March 2015. (Published on FF.Net originally.) Back when 1 and 2 were both Vita-exclusives. Before Absolute Despair Girls was even localized. Before I'd ever played Steins; Gate or watched any Fate or played any Persona games. It's been nearly four years since then. By complete coincidence, Naegi entered Hope's Peak on August 21st, 2010.

SDHSL Smartass: AU: (In which Naegi doesn't get knocked out by Oowada's punch in Chapter 1)  
Chapter 1: Originally Posted on March 29th, 2015

Dialogue Itacilized On FF.Net. This is going to take awhile to get up here. So if you're really curious to read the continuation, it's on FF.Net

SDHSL Smartass: AU: (In which Naegi doesn't get knocked out by Oowada's punch in Chapter 1)

"Oh shit! Sorry, man. I lost my temper. But I gotta say, kid, you're a durable one. Not many people remain conscious after I punch them. Intentiationally or not." Oowada said.  
"That doesn't surprise me, given what we just learned. But all the same, that hurt. My brain feels like rattling inside my skull." Makoto Naegi said.  
"Maybe you do have some luck after all. Must make up for a lack of skill in life." Togami commented.  
"What?"  
"Unlike the rest of us who got here on a combination of talent and hard work, you got lucky. Nothing more."  
__Celeste Ludenberg strutted forward. "As the SDHS Gambler, let me speak from experience. People may be born with an inherent quantity and quality of luck, but it can still be manipulated somewhat. Luck can be every bit of a skill as the next ability. And in my experience, luck can be manufactured. A clever enough person can create their own luck. And in this place, sometimes a little luck can make all the difference in the world."  
"Manufactured luck? Maybe in your lifestyle. But in general? How absurd. The best rise to the top, always."  
"That may come back to bite you later." Celeste called to Togami as he walked out of the gymnasium. "Haven't you ever heard of an upset?"  
"The usage of a Xanatos Gambit." Naegi commented.  
"A Xanatos Gambit?" Celeste replied.  
"You know, a maneuver where no matter the outcome it benefits the user. Haven't you ever been on Tvtropes ?"  
"I'm sorry, Naegi. I've never actually heard that term before. But it's a good one. I'll keep it in mind."  
"Now that that crisis has been averted, what do we do now?" Yamada queued the group.  
"I-i-t-it's obvious, isn't it?" Fukawa replied. "We look for a way out."  
"I doubt it's going to be that easy." Fujisaki said.  
"Still, we must try." Maizono said.  
"Yes, of course, we must try." Kirigiri said. "But I doubt very much that we're just going to get be able find the exit and leave."  
"This isn't going to be easy." Enoshima pointed out.  
"But where's the fun in something if it's too easy?" Leon replied.  
"Says the baseball star who never goes to practice." Asahina said.  
"Okay, how about this? How about we split up into various groups?" Celeste suggested.  
"That seems good enough." Oogami replied. "We just need to make sure everybody searches."  
"Naegi, are you going to be alright?" Maizono asked Naegi.  
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just need stop the ringing in my ears."  
"You might have a concussion." Fujisaki said.  
__Enoshima walked up and studied Naegi.  
" You don't have a concussion. You'd already be vomiting all over Sayaka if you did.  
"Uhhh, how did you know so much about concussions, Enoshima?" Naegi's eyes widened. His classmates were getting more and more strange. But he supposed that this situation was making them act more serious than they normally would have.  
"I'll tell you later."  
"Fair enough."  
"However, you should probably go and get some rest now."  
"What?"  
"That was a meaty punch by Oowada, we're going to need everyone at full strength. I assume there's going to be some beds somewhere. Somebody should accompany you.  
"But I can still help!"  
"See, you're already starting to stumble. Leon, why don't you help Naegi find his room?"  
__Kirigiri's eyes narrowed, something seemed off about this Enoshima. She'd have to keep an eye out on her.  
"I'll take him." Maizono volunteered.  
"Nobody has to accompany me anywhere." Naegi protested. "I'll find my room on my own."  
"Stubbornly independent as ever."  
__Now it was Maizono's turn to be suspicious.  
__What was going on? This wasn't how she projected Naegi to be from their brief interactions in middle school. She had developed the ability to read people pretty well. It was something she had picked up from her idol career where if you took a single misstep and you were considered over. And those words 'As Ever'? That made it sound like Enoshima and Naegi had history together. But Naegi had indicated to her in the moments leading up to Monokuma's appearance that she was the only person Naegi actually knew. Does this mean they had an encounter and Naegi forgot whereas Enoshima remembered? She decided to try and get a read on Enoshima.  
"Naegi, I'll be back for you later. In meantime, get some rest." Maizono shot Naegi her million smile.  
"I guess I don't have a much choice in the matter." Naegi grumbled.  
"Come on." Leon said, putting Naegi's arm over his shoulder. "Let's find your room", he said as the two semi-stumbled out of the gymnaisum.  
__Naegi could hear Ishimaru's voice ringing through the gymnasium.  
"Alright, troops, let's move out."  
"Ooohhh, stoppp with the hardline military attitude." Fukawa protested.  
__Meanwhile, Maizono was determined to figure out Enoshima's connection to Naegi, and the best way to do this was while the two were investigating. After all, if the two were stuck in here for a long period of time, she would have plenty of time to figure out the rest of them.  
"So Enoshima, do you think anybody would seriously murder someone else in here?"  
"I can't say for sure."  
__After a brief moment...  
"Cut the crap, Maizono. We both know why you decided to search with me."  
"Alright, what's your connection to Naegi? It seems like the two of you have met before."  
"Why? Are you in love with him?"  
"So what if I am?"  
"That may come back to bite you."  
"Explain to me how caring for the one peer whose ever treated me as a person could ever backfire."  
"The nature of this game."  
"We'll see."  
"Yes, we will see."  
"Now I have a question for you, Maizono."  
"What is it?"  
"You claimed that Naegi is the only peer whose ever treated you as a person. Explain."  
"Well, you should know what it's like when people treat you as a means to end."  
"Yes, I should. But I get the feeling our experiences in this matter are severely different. So go on."  
"Hmmm, throughout middle school, it was day after day of boys hitting on me, trying to be my boyfriend. Trying to win my affections. It was girl after girl trying to become my best friend to become relevant. It was teacher after teacher allowing me to cheat on tests and bend the rules so that I could become their favorite teacher."  
"Is that so?"  
"Yes, they all had the same objective. To get me to actually care about them so that they might become famous by proxy."  
"And Naegi?"  
"Naegi treated me like a girl. With feelings. Who should have control over her own life."  
"I see."  
"I saw it."  
"Saw what?"  
"In his eyes. Every time a boy hit on me, every time a girl tried to sidle up to me. Every time a teacher gave me the green light to break the rules."  
"What did you see?"  
"The question. 'Why are all of you doing this? Can't you see she doesn't want to be around you? So why do you people continue to bother her?"  
"Okay, Maizono, but couldn't you just have been applying context where there wasn't any?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean, did the two of you ever have a full conservation?"  
"Not for a lack of trying."  
__Leon and Naegi made it to Naegi's room.  
"Oh, crap. It's locked."  
"Not to worry, here are the room keys for the two of your rooms." Monokuma said.  
"Thanks, Monokuma!" Leon said. Naegi silently snarked at his idiot moment and lack of awareness.  
"Wait, Monokuma! Go away."  
__Monokuma chuckled.  
"If it's going to keep going like this, I might not actually want to see any deaths at all. Uupppuuuu."  
"Huh?"  
__And at this moment, Naegi realized something very important as the door opened and he staggered to his bed.  
"You good to go?"  
"Yeah."  
"Hey, before I go, I have one question for you, Naegi."  
"Yeah, what is it?"  
"What's your history with Maizono?"  
"Why?"  
"I got a look at her face right after Oowada punched you, and well, she looked like she was going to go right over to Oowada and knock his lights out."  
"What? Maizono? That doesn't seem in character for her."  
"Yeah, man, I never thought that a pop idol could appear so scary. And if she looks pissed enough to take on the outlaw biker for your sake, you must be really important to her."  
"So that's why you're asking about our history?"  
"Yeah."  
"There's not much to it. We went to the same middle school, we were in different classes. I hardly ever spoke to her."  
"Then why do you think she cares so much for you?"  
"Huh?"  
"Let's just say I've met my fair share of obsessed girls. Maizono had the same look in her eyes. That look of 'This guy is mine. And as long as we could still get together, I'll maim or even kill any possible reasons preventing us from becoming a couple."  
"Seriously? What did I do?"  
"Did you treat her any differently than the other guys in your grade?"  
"I suppose not. I never really cared about her career that much. I mean, I knew of it. But I never really went around trying to get into her good graces."  
"So you were saying you were just your standard nice guy?"  
"Yeah, I'd like to think so."  
"Well, there's the answer."  
"What?"  
"You treated her normally. My guess is the rest of the guys who paid her any attention were always trying to get into her good graces. Become famous by proxy. They were never interested in her for her. There were interested in her for her wealth and fame and connections."  
"What?"  
"Yeah, so it makes sense that she would like the guy who legitimately treated her as a person, not a vehicle for stardom."  
"So you're saying that being nice actually won the affections of the attractive girl? How about that."  
__Leon chuckled. "Apparently so. The cliche has been broken."  
"I think that's a first."  
"Yeah... she'll end up being your girlfriend if you're not careful."  
"What do you mean?"  
"What I mean is this, if the two of you enter into a relationship, it should be on equal terms. She shouldn't force you into it."  
"If you say so."  
"You don't believe me, do you?"  
"Not really."  
"I see. You're just the plain guy, aren't you? Not used to having the attractive girl's affections?"  
"I guess you could say that. I'm just an ordinary, average guy. There's not much to me."  
"I don't know, man. No matter what the prick says, you've certainly given off the impression that there's a hellvua lot more to you than just some luck."  
"I'll take your word for it."  
"Alright, I'm going to go help the others search for a way out. You really should get some rest."  
Naegi's eyelids agreed with that statement.

\- AUTHOR NOTE: Please go ahead and leave a review or recommend this to fellow fans. I want to hear the reactions from readers.


	2. Mind You, It's 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Second Chapter. Naegi wakes up, and with his internal clock different from his classmates, begins to explore the school.

Chapter 2:

Sometime later, Naegi awoke. The time on the analog clock in his room said 3:51, he assumed that it was accurate to the minute and that the clock had not been messed with. Since he was assuming that the morning activities had started a little after 8 AM, he guessed he had ended up in bed by around 9 AM. His head was still pounding, but he had to find the others. He reflected on something else. A realization that Monokuma had unknowingly given him.  
"If it's going to keep like this, I might not actually want to see any deaths at all. Uupppuuuu."  
It meant he could draw several conclusions about whoever was operating Monokuma. If say, Naegi had been killed by Oowada's punch, the first domino would fall, and judging from Maizono's reactions, (which he would have never guessed if Leon hadn't told him), she would have probably attempted to kill Oowada in retaliation right then and there. This would have had two possible reactions.

a. Either it would have devolved into a free-for-all slugfest

b. the whole situation would have insured that nobody would have murdered no matter what incentive Monokuma might present.

2\. This mastermind didn't want a free-for-all slugfest with the strongest brute winning. They wanted a meta-game that favored a rather methodical and primarily stragetical-aimed approach. Naegi's injuries from Oowada were actually the best situation for the mastermind. He was considered 'crippled' but still alive, which meant he could still interact with his classmates. In theory, he now made the easiest target to be picked off. Everybody had seen his physical limits. There was now an obvious target for people to lock onto ... Assuming of course, Maizono wasn't there and ready to counter-murder. (Huh, counter-murder, that's not a word that ordinarily makes sense, unless you're like a yakuza or something.)

3\. The most likely people to engage this sort of meta-game were Togami, Celes, Fukawa, and perhaps Kirigiri. He'd have to keep his eyes on them, especially Kirigiri. That girl didn't give anything way, not even her ability.

"Wait, since when am I so analytical about people? I guess it must be the seriousness of this situation. And I did nearly get my lights punched out."  
He grabbed his room key and sauntered out.  
"Naegi!" Maizono had found him, and she was accompanied by Enoshima of all people. "Oh, you're alright."  
"I see the two of you searched together. How was it?"  
"Eh. We didn't find a way out. If we had, you would have woken up outside with Maizono the first thing you saw. I actually had to keep Maizono from dragging me back to your room sooner."  
"Is that so?"  
"Yeah."  
. Naegi thought about what Leon said. He wasn't opposed to a relationship with Maizono, in fact, he probably liked her more than he cared to admit given the circumstances, but he was resolved to do it on his terms. No matter how hard she tried, Maizono wasn't going to strongarm him into it. The relationship wouldn't have been healthy otherwise.  
. That part wasn't going to be easy. He knew that Maizono pretty much could have had any guy except Togami in his school (and maybe some of the girls too), and yet she had chosen him. Why? Leon's words had seemed enough at face-value but as he stared into her blue irises, it wasn't enough of an explanation. The answer was more complex than that.  
"Hey, Enoshima, where's everybody else?"  
"Asleep."  
"Asleep?! But it's only 3:51!"  
"Shhshh, Naegi, it's 3:51 in the morning."  
"The hell?"  
"Yeah, did you just assume PM?"  
"Well, kinda."  
"The clocks here are analog. So they only show in twelve hour increments."  
"Oh, man. So what am I supposed to do now? I was kinda hoping to be filled in with what I missed."  
"Yeah. I think you'll have to wait on that." Maizono said.  
"No duh."  
"Okay. I think I'm just going to go back to bed, it's almost 4 in the morning. Hey, wait a minute..."  
"What, Naegi?"  
"Guys, have you heard of the 4 in the morning phenomenon?" Naegi queued Enoshima.  
"What? What phenomenon happens at 4 in the morning? And more importantly, where did you get this information?"  
"The internet. From an online video that I discovered from this guy. I'll find and link you the video after this is all over. I just know a lot of stuff happens at 4 in the morning, and it's a world-wide internet phenomenon.  
Enoshima looked totally perplexed.  
"Like when?"  
"Well, in Yugioh GX Abridged, the first line ever in the series involves making pancake helicopters at four in the morning."  
"Naegi, you dolt. What does that have to do with our current situation?" Maizono face-faulted.  
"Well, it is four in the morning. And now that I think about it, what were two even doing? Were you guys giving everything a twi-  
"We thought it would be prudent to give everything a twice-over." Maizono said."  
"No, be honest. YOU thought it would be prudent to give everything a twice-over. I just accompanied you." Enoshima replied.  
Suddenly, a tamed Monokuma appeared. He looked ready to torment.  
"You should have seen them, Naegi. They were lezzing it up!"  
Maizono was beet-red, and Enoshima's left eye was twitching out of annoyance. She desperately wanted to kick Monokuma in the face.  
"What sparsely-updated abridged series did you pull that one from, Monokuma?" Naegi retorted.  
"Ooh, quick tongue there, Naegi. That one was pretty good. I have to admit." Monokuma said. "I too am a practioner of internet abridged ser-"  
"Save your breath, Monokuma, I don't particularly care." Naegi interjected.  
"Damn, you just aren't leaving me any openings, are you? You're no fun, Naegi. No fun at all."  
"No, I'm not. And I don't plan to."  
"Monokuma, why are you here?" Maizono started. "There's nothing going on."  
"Can I wish that wasn't the case? Oh, yeah, I came by to give Naegi instructions on how to open his bathroom door."  
"Really, what's wrong with it?"  
"It's misaligned. You have to push up on the handle while simultaneously pushing forward in order to open it."  
"I see. Thank you. Now if you're going to obnoxious, be gone."  
"You can't just spirit me away, Naegi." Monokuma chuckled. "I leave when I want to. I appear when I want to."  
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we have to enjoy your presence."  
"But you totally should. After all, I'm a bear-y enjoyable bear."  
"Bear puns, really?"  
"Hey, what's wrong with bear puns?"  
"Bears puns are right up there with bee puns as some of the most laziest jokes of all time. Most of them are un'bear'able."  
"Really. Really? Seriously? Weren't you just saying-?"  
"That's the joke, stupid."  
"Huh. I still like them, and nothing you say will change that."  
"Of course you like them! Big surprise, you're a robotic teddy bear with machinations. You should at least try to be original in your humor. It's boring."  
"A 'robotic teddy bear with machinations'?"  
"Yeah, because behind of all of this, your operator is scheming its next move."  
"Okay, I'll admit, that one was halfway decent." Enoshima conceded.  
"Halfway decent? I made a joke about the scheming nature of a robot! How often does that get to work, Enoshima?"  
"Naegi, I'm not that big on puns."  
"You just don't appreciate the punchline."  
"Eh-oh!" Maizono interjected.  
"Really, Naegi. You criticize me for making 'bear' puns, and yet you're making puns off of the word 'pun' itself." Monokuma pointed out.  
"I pull no punches with my humor."  
Maizono groaned. "Naegi, that was so cringe-worthy I can't even..."  
"How about bear-y sub par instead, Maizono?" Monokuma suggested.  
"No, that's even worse."  
"Well, you know what, it's been fun. I look forward to future interactions."  
"No, it really hasn't. And I don't. Now, go away, you crazy little psycho." Naegi replied indifferently.  
"You're a lot sharper with your tongue than what I remember." Maizono remarked. "When did this happen?"  
"Well, it's been accentuated ever since Oowada punched me."  
"Naegi, I can't believe I'm saying this, but that actually seemed a little cruel to Monokuma." Enoshima commented as Monokuma walked away dejectedly.  
"He's a psychotic robotic teddy bear with the ability to sneak in like a bona-fide ninja that's trying to get us to murder each other. Would you be saying your comment if he was a ninja pirate zombie robot instead?"  
"That's not what I meant."  
"Is it even possible to have a zombie robot? Let alone one that's a ninja pirate?" Maizono wondered. "I mean, seriously. A zombie robot? What even is that? A sentient robot that's built out of components from other, older robots?"  
"I guess so." Naegi answered.  
"Hey, guys. Are we seriously having a philsophical discussion about how to create zombie robots at 4 in the morning?" Enoshima commented.  
"Well, it's more 4:30 now."  
"Oh, I give up! I don't know about you two, but I'm going back to bed now. I expect the population to remain sixteen when I wake up tomorrow."  
"Enoshima, we're not going to murder each other."  
Maizono facepalmed. That wasn't what Enoshima meant.  
"Maizono, I have a question."  
"Yes, Naegi, what is it?"  
"Why do you think the fifteen of us were put into this situation? Aside from our connection, nobody else here knew each other personally before today."  
"I wish I knew."  
"It's strange. If we could just figure out the reason why, it might aid us in our escape."  
"Us?"  
"All of us."  
"I see. Is there anything on your mind?"  
"Yeah. For starters, why is this mastermind hiding behind a robotic teddy bear? Why not show its face directly? I mean, beyond the initial shock factor, it's not practical. What if it breaks down in front of us, and Fujisaki gets a chance to dissect it?"  
"Maybe the mastermind is scared that Oowada or Sakura would attack it if it showed itself directly?"  
"Hmmm, maybe that's the upfront reason/built-in excuse. But I think it's more subtle than that, it's a countermeasure to being read. There are several people here who can read people very well and facial expressions are a large component for allowing people to read you. By operating through a mechanical liason, it gives itself the upper hand in dealings."  
"Naegi, what are you saying?"  
"I'm saying to look at our lineup. You're a pop idol. You have to be able to read a crowd. Togami's a rich heir. He has to read people for agressive negoiations. Celeste is a gambler. That's part of the job description. And despite not revealing her talent, Kirigiri has all the makings of a detective.  
"Yeah. It makes sense. But Naegi...?"  
"Yes, Maizono?"  
"I'm tired."  
"Should I accompany you back to your door?"  
"If you want to. It's not going to take that long."  
"So which way is it?"  
"Turn around."  
There was Maizono's room, right next to his.  
"Well, I'll be. Someone must have known about our past ahead of time in order to set us up."  
"I'll see you later, Naegi."  
Maizono chuckled and glomped Naegi before going into her room.  
"Phew, she's in bed now. So what do I do? Everybody else is asleep."  
A moment later, the realization hit him.  
"Wait, everybody else is asleep. I think it's time for me to familarize myself with this school. I didn't expect to do this solo, but now as good as time as any. It will mean I'm not behind later today."  
Standing there alone for a moment, he pondered what he should explore first. Eventually, he decided to just walk ahead and see what he could find.  
"First, I'll poke around the dorm rooms and see what I can find."

\- AUTHOR NOTE: Please go ahead and leave a review or recommend this to fellow fans. I want to hear the reactions from readers.


	3. Exploration! Pocketing Gear and Coin!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naegi continues his exploration.

(Note: I had a map of the 1st Floor of Hope's Peak Academy open this whole time to make sure I was writing it correctly.)

Chapter 3:

. Naegi decided to explore near the dorm area first. He noted that the cafeteria was closed. Probably would reopen in the 'morning'. But he had no idea how long the food in there would last. He'd have to check the food situation with Maizono and Enoshima later in case Monokuma decided to induce murder by starvation.  
. 'Murder by starvation'. It would probably be best not to mention those words out loud. He didn't want to be responsible for giving Monokuma any sort of ideas in order to force his way into his desired objective, which was the denizens of this academic prison to murder each other.  
. Across the cafeteria, there was a sauna and a public bathroom. Both were locked.  
. "Why are both of these rooms locked? If we're going to be spending the rest of our lives here, we might as well have access to everything."  
. Naegi pondered a moment before coming up with an answer that at least seemed intuitive.  
. "He's trying to close off space on the first floor, and compress us. He's hoping we'll get on each other's nerves so much by constantly being in close proximity to each other that we'll eventually resort to murder to get out of each other's hair. We can't stay in our rooms all day every day for the rest of our lives."  
. He continued walking around. There was a trash room and a pair of restrooms. The pair of restrooms struck him as odd because there wasn't going to be any guests in this semi-closed system. The reason came to him a moment later.  
. "Wait a moment, the bath and the restrooms? Was it always planned like this? Or is this in case a last survivor locks himself (or herself) out of their room? They still have a way to clean himself (or herself), and eat food, and use the toilet."  
. His line of reasoning seemed okay, until he realized something.  
. "Wait, but the bath is currently locked. Does that mean Monokuma unlocks more of this place the more unsuccessful murders there are? So, in theory, should we be rooting for someone to murder someone else, because, and I hate to think this, aside from the psychological trauma, it actually improves the lives of the survivors."  
. Naegi's eyes narrowed. He did not like where his thought process was taking him.  
. "One thing's for certain. This mastermind has set up a very clever meta-game that I can use to my advantage. Hehehe. I'm turning into quite the smart-ass. But then again, if I didn't, the sheer force of the other personalities (and egos in Togami's case) inside this school, including Monokuma's, would overwhelm me. I may be a nice guy, but I'm not going to be a pushover. I want to survive this experience."  
. Naegi then decided to turn around and go straight ahead in order to start casing the rest of the school. He walked past the blue cafeteria sign and a sealed off staircase to the second floor, and headed towards where the majority of the school was. He passed the AV room and paused at the entrance hall. He turned and looked directly at it  
. "Judging from its lack of damage, I doubt either Oogami's strength or Oowada's rage could put a dent into it."  
. He began feeling the door. Sure enough, there didn't seem to be any exploitable flaws in the door.  
. "No, it's rock solid. Just as expected. Well, actually, it's more titanium-steel alloy solid than rock solid." Naegi muttered to himself.  
. But a little box to his right caught his eye.  
. "What's this?" he asked. At the bottom of the metallic, rectangular box, there was scribbled on the some tape some hasty handwriting:

DEAD STUDENTS' IDs.  
. "Monokuma's certainly confident he's going to get at least a couple of murders. But what's really interesting is that the IDs of dead students AREN'T removed from play. He expects us to use the deaths of other students as lynch-pins to set up future murders."  
. This brought other questions in his mind.  
. "In what scenarios would you need to use someone else's ID to get where you want to go?"  
. The first answer was obvious: gender-specific rooms. There were probably some rooms that only a male's ID could get into and some rooms that only a female's ID could get into. It would make sense. He'd have to keep an eye out for such rooms on this floor.  
. He walked from the box, hands in his pockets. Maybe over the next few days, he could ask for a handwriting sample from the other students and compare them to the scrawl at the bottom of the box.  
. "Wait, I wonder if my ElectroID can take photographs?" Naegi stopped and pondered. "Monokuma did act like we were going to have to solve murders in this place, and I doubt anybody here, save for perhaps Kirigiri, has an eidetic memory."  
. He walked back to the box, put it under his arm to prevent Monokuma from snatching it, and sat down to begin exploring the functions of his ElectroID. On the outside, there was a charging port and it probably connected to most laptops released nowadays. There was also a headphone jack and its own external speaker. He wondered if anybody else had noticed it. If Fujisaki could somehow get a computer, the programmer could probably get the technical specs on which operating systems the ID was compatible with.  
. "Knowing our luck, it'll probably be some nerd version of Linux."  
. He continued in much the same way someone explores the new features of a smartphone. He checked the storage capacity, and he saw that it was 128 GB with 127.8 GB available.  
. "Probably to insure we never run out of space. But what can we put on here that makes 128 GB necessary?"  
. Naegi soon discovered the answer to that question. Monokuma had its own data cloud complete with dozens of television shows, movies, hundreds of albums, and e-books. A user had the option to share their photos with the rest of the group.  
. "So that's what all that storage capacity on the Electro ID is for."  
. His mind wandered off to another topic.  
. "Wait a minute, this is almost like a social network that's exclusively confined to living prisoners of this academy. But there's only sixteen of us including Monokuma. So does Monokuma already have this 'game's' infrastructure ready to go in case he wants to import more students from the outside world? And is it possible that's he done this before?"  
. That was certainly a troubling thought, and not one he wanted to extrapolate at 5 AM.  
. He found the camera.  
. "Ah, so here's where the camera is."  
. Naegi took a picture of the handwriting in the box with his ElectroID before carefully placing the box back into his original position. The camera itself certainly sported such impressive resolutions for taking crystal-clear pictures.  
. "Hmmm, I'm sure there's a prodigal photographer out there who would love to use this camera."  
. His mind turned to another function of the IDs.  
. "Now, I wonder where it's possible to get some headphones and maybe some external speakers for this thing."  
. He walked through the doors out of the entrance hall and saw the 'Student Store' across the hall.  
. "I guess Monokuma unlocked this after he announced all of his intents. But now I wonder if this place has headphones."  
. Walking in, there they were, the headphones and the speakers. There was also a variety of other gifts, including ramen, a crystal skull sans Indiana Jones, and portable game systems.  
. "Wait, portable game systems? What are the models?"  
. Monokuma had stocked up on ... SEGA Gamegears and Neo Gear Pocket Collectors.  
. "Goddamn it, Monokuma, what the frickin' Hell? Where's the Vita? Or at least the PSP?... Woah. I guess Oowada imparted his language on me with his punch."  
. He spotted a laminated piece of paper on the counter. It had the same hasty, scribbled handwriting as the box.

Welcome to the Student Store, please find some Monokuma coins before purchasing items here. I've hidden Monokuma coins throughout the school, so consider it a built-in scavenger hunt to your lives here. And I've gotten pretty creative with some of their hiding spots, see if you can find them! Sincerely, Monokuma."

. "Of course, Monokuma has to turn everything into a game in here."  
. He left the student store and turned right, passing the locked infirmary and a pair of restrooms.  
. "Oh, look, another staircase. And this one is also sealed off. Perhaps Oogami could physically dent it, but I get the feeling this is something Monokuma will open up after an unsuccessful murder."  
. He turned right again and entered into the room right before the gymansium. There were awards and all sorts of items, school trophies for the math team that sort of thing. There was even a practice sword sheathed inside a scabbard with gold leaf covering it.  
. He touched the leaf and immediately stained his pointer finger gold.  
. "So this comes off rather quickly. It's not very practical. Is it an award for something?"  
. He read the first half of the inscription on the card beneath the sword. The second line which was supposed to name the year of the competition had been filed off.

National Tournament for Female Swordswomen: 1st Place: Peko Pekoyama.

. "Now, why has the year been filed off?" Naegi squinted at the inscription, he could make out 20- , but the last two digits had been so severely filed off that it was impossible to read. Putting the thought into the back of his head, he headed into the gymnasium.  
. The gymnasium, where Monokuma had announced the terms and conditions of their stay here and where Oowada cleaned his clock and nearly knocked him unconscious. Oh well, he had to enter it again at some point.  
. Walking in again, he wasn't sure what he expected. But the basketballs still weren't picked up. There really wasn't anything that caught his eye in here... except the ceiling seemed to be an optical illusion. It looked like the gymnasium's ceiling went up to about 40 feet, but in actuality, it stopped at the height of the first floor, which was about half that.  
. "So what's directly above me?" Naegi questioned.  
. Other than the fact that the ceiling was an optical illusion, it was your standard full-court with bleachers. There wasn't much of anything interesting here. But as he turned around, he spotted something bronze and shiny next to the door.  
. Naegi picked it up and flipped the coin.  
. "I guess this is one of those Monokuma coins that that note made a mention of it. I can't believe nobody else noticed this and picked it up out of sheer curiosity. Maybe nobody else has been to the Student Store yet."  
. He walked out of the gymnasium. He decided to head over the AV Room instead. There was nothing inside of it except a bunch of computers.  
. "I wonder, since we're the only ones in here. Do we each pick a computer for personal use to hook up with our ElectroIDs? I'll have to ask Monokuma next time I see him."  
. He left the A/V Room, and wandered past the classroom he woke up in.  
. "Wait a minute, I was the last one to come to. And I woke up in a classroom. There are only two classrooms on the first floor, 1-A, and 1-B. I know all the other rooms were locked because I checked them before going to the main hall. So if that's the case, where and when did everyone else wake up?"

\- AUTHOR NOTE: I saw the opportunity to turn the sword into a reverse homage to Dangan Ronpa 2, so I did.  
\- AUTHOR NOTE: Please go ahead and leave a review or recommend this to fellow fans. I want to hear the reactions from readers.


	4. Blazing Purple!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naegi makes a reference. Kirigiri drinks coffee.

Chapter 4:

. Naegi sat down outside his room until morning. He needed to ask someone, anyone about where and when they woke up in the school. He didn't want to go back to bed because he had no idea if the military-esque hardass, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, had told everyone to meet somewhere at a certain time, and that would present an outside chance of him missing just about everyone else.  
"If my hunch is correct, there should be some inconsistencies between an arrival and waking up from someone!"  
He folded his hands together underneath his chin. An announcement from Monokuma came at seven AM.  
"Good morning, you guys! It is now 7:00 A.M.! Rise and shiiine!"  
. Naegi had expected someone to come out at that point, either to get coffee or tea or even a frickin' bagel with cream cheese or something. They couldn't all dislike breakfast like he did. But it was no use, they were probably all lying in their beds, trying to delude themselves that this wasn't real. That they were still safe and sound in their homes, or that even if they were in Hope's Peak, yesterday hadn't been real. It was all an elaborate prank by the staff and other students.  
. No such luck. This was very much real. This was as real as it was going to get. Seeing that box labelled 'Dead Students' ID' had convinced him. Nobody put a miniscule detail like that for just a prank. And in here, every issue was amplified off the walls. Every interpersonal problem would resonate between them, wear them down. And Naegi had a sinking feeling that not all of them would survive this. Sure, maybe a few, maybe even a half-dozen or so, but everybody here? Not likely.  
. He was so wrapped in his thoughts that he almost didn't spot the lavender-colored boots with heels. Kirigiri was returning to her room, coffee in hand.  
"Hello... Makoto Naegi."  
"Kirigiri Kyoko."  
"What are you doing up?" Kirigiri's voice was firm. If it weren't for the transpired sequence of events, it could have almost been mistaken for small talk.  
"I woke up around four, walked around the school, and haven't gone back to sleep since then."  
"I see."  
"So what are you doing up?"  
"I wanted some coffee."  
"You like coffee?"  
"Yes. Do you like coffee?"  
"No, I've never really been fond of breakfast food."  
"I see. You said you walked around the school. Did you do something the rest of us couldn't do and find a way out?"  
"If I did, would I still be here?"  
Kirigiri smiled slightly.  
"Good point."  
"But I did discover something strange. I'll show you."  
Kirigiri raised her eyebrows.  
"Something strange?"  
"A minor detail that broadcasts the mastermind's overconfidence that our living numbers will decrease."  
"And what's that?"  
"Follow me. I don't want Monokuma preemptively swiping it."  
"You're not planning to kill me, are you?"  
"You're wearing boots with heels. One kick to the gut in the stomach and I'm finished."  
"Says the guy who withstood one of the fiercest punches a teenager could possibly dish out yesterday."  
"Hahaha. Come on."  
. Naegi put his hands in his pockets and strolled to the entrance hall.  
"Kirigiri, I have another question for you."  
"If it's about my talent, I'm still choosing not to answer that particular question."  
"No, it's not about that."  
"Then what's your question?"  
"What's with the purple color palette? You look like a humanized version of Blaze the Cat."  
"What? It's lavender and lilac."  
"So shades of purple. Why?"  
"It happens to be my favorite color. And who's Blaze the cat?"  
"You never had Sonic Rush for Nintendo DS?"  
"No." Kirigiri appeared apprehensive. "Is he bringing up this game to get me lower my guard and strike? I know he's brought up my boots as a counterpoint." Kirigiri's eyes narrowed slightly. "But it's possible he has a way around it."  
"Is something wrong?"  
"No, nothing. But why are you bringing up something like Sonic Rush, Naegi?"  
"I... don't know, you just reminded me of Blaze the cat. Between all the purple, and the fact that you're very icy,cold, and not very conducive to the power of friendship, but you'll likely warm up over time."  
"You think the power of friendship will help us here?"  
"Not at first."  
"How interesting. Why?"  
"Because we've only known each other for a day. And we still don't know a lot about each other. It's possible that the dynamics change, and change drastically."  
"In face of the murdering?"  
"No, just in time."  
"You think there won't be any murders?"  
"I honestly can't say. I don't know everybody here well enough to predict who they are and what actions they might be willing to consider. Especially considering the magnitude of most of the personalities here. Most of them are used to situations where they can dictate the sequence of events."  
"Well said. You're approaching this with a lot more tact than I expected."  
. Now it was Naegi's eyes that narrowed. He could draw a few inferences about Kirigiri. Unlike Maizono, or even Enoshima, Kirigiri was more reserved, full of dry wit, and not as likely to present much of a target in either direction as he thought. She was a solo operative. You could either play her second fiddle or stay out of her way, but she wouldn't hesitate to discard someone if they were a liability. Unlike Togami, Celeste, or Fukawa, she didn't seem too likely to murder, and there were easier targets such as himself and Fujisaki to go after.  
. He found the box.  
"What can I say? As the perpetual beta male, it's too my advantage to understand people."  
"Is that so?"  
"Kirigiri, could you be my witness on this?"  
"Witness for what?"  
"Look at the bottom of the box. Tell me what it is says."  
"It says 'Dead Students' ID'. It's written on tape. The handwriting appears quite messy.  
"Okay."  
"I see what you mean. The mastermind is really anticipating some murders."  
"Not just that, failed murders as well. Note the plural."  
"Yeah. Not good."  
"If you were running this game, wouldn't you remove the ID-s of any dead students from 'play'?"  
"I suppose I would."  
"And yet, they aren't getting removed. Meaning?"  
"Meaning that they could be integral for a second or even third murder."  
"Exactly."  
"That showcases extreme confidence on Monokuma's part, whether he knows it or not."  
"Oh, hello, it's my two favorite students. Naegi and Kirigiri. Careful Naegi, you'd better not let Maizono catch you showing this to Kirigiri. She might get jealous and go full yandere."  
"What do you want, Monokuma?" Naegi questioned Monokuma.  
"Oh, I just wondered what the two of you were up to. I mean, you've only just hit the twenty-four hour mark, and already you're screwing around."  
. Naegi knew exactly what Monokuma was doing, but it was Kirigiri who voiced the objective.  
"You're just trying to wear us down mentally to make us more susceptible to murder."  
"No, I'm not."  
"Yes, you are."  
"No."  
"Yes."  
"No."  
"Yes."  
"No!"  
"Yes."  
"NO!"  
"Yes."  
. Naegi sweatdropped. Kirigiri was remaining as poised as ever at Monokuma's vehement insistence that he wasn't trying to accelerate the murdering.  
"Well, in case, I hope you've both discovered that there's no way out." Monokuma said.  
"We'll see about that." Kirigiri said.  
"My my, you're sure confident, aren't you, Kirigiri Kyoko? I mean, all things considered."  
"I could say the same to you, Monokuma."  
"Overconfident? Me? How dare you say such a thing?" Monokuma glared at Kirigiri. "I'm such a humble bear. You haven't figured that out yet? I mean-"  
"Monokuma, if you're going to do more 'bear' puns, just stop."  
"Pre-emptively shutting down my routine, Naegi? You know me too well." Monokuma sighed.  
"Naegi, how did you know Monokuma was going to make bear puns?" Kirigiri quequed.  
"Let's just say I ran into him at about four this morning."  
"With Maizono and Enoshima." Monokuma helpfully added. "I'll let your imagination do the rest, Kirigiri."  
"Too bad, Monokuma. I don't have one." Kirigiri dead-panned.  
"That's a real shame, Kirigiri. I had high hopes in your potential, considering your background."  
"Monokuma, I'm only going to say this once. Shut up." Kirigiri said.  
"You really are a mean entity, Monokuma." Naegi told off the robotic bear.  
"What? It's not enough to have Maizono and Enoshima in the palms of your hands. Now, you've got to have Kirigiri in your back pocket as well?" Monokuma clapped his hands over his mouth.  
"Huh? Wait, Monokuma. What do you mean?"  
"It's time for me to scram. See you later, Naegi!" Monokuma scurried away.  
"Wonder what he meant by that. I mean, I /know Maizono has affection for me. But Enoshima?" Naegi muttered.  
"Damn, Naegi, what's all the commotion?" Leon had arrived. He spotted Kirigiri. "Oh no seriously? Not another one. You trying to go three for three in under twenty four hours? You've already got Maizono. And it's all but guaranteed you've clinched Enoshima as well. The two nines in this school, the model and the diva aren't enough?" Leon joked.  
"Wait, if Maizono and Enoshima are nines, then what am I?" Kirigiri asked bemusedly.  
"Oh crap, you're uh... you're an 8.8."  
"I see. Nice 'save' there." Kirigiri airquoted the penultimate word. The fabric on her gloves rippled slightly.  
"Anyway, Leon, take a look at this." Naegi showed Leon the box. Leon read what was inside.  
"Oh crap."  
"You do realize the implications of this, right?"  
"That Monokuma over there is expecting multiple murders?"  
"Exactly."  
"Wait, Monokuma is over there?" Naegi asked Leon, blinking several times in confusion.  
"Yeah, behind the corner." Leon said, pointing over his shoulder to Monokuma, homaging the stalker classic by peeking around the column "I passed him on the way over here. He was muttering about how he wanted to do bear puns, but you kept one-uping him."  
"I see. Point to me then!" Naegi raised his hands triumphantly.  
"You seemed oddly amused by that." Leon chuckled.  
"Hey, we're trapped in here. We might as take the moral victories when they come."  
"I wouldn't say that being more smart-alecky than a teddy bear is that much of a moral victory. Say, how did you even discover this box?"  
"I woke up around 4 AM this morning, and decided to go exploring around the school."  
"Make any discoveries?"  
"Monokuma is fan of retro handhelds?"  
"Huh?"  
"Yeah. I went into the Student Store. And instead of PSPs and maybe DSs, Monokuma is selling SEGA Gamegears and Neo Geo Pocket Collectors."  
"Okay." Leon looked at Naegi quizzically. "Why?"  
"I have no idea, maybe Monokuma is just a fan of retro gaming?"  
" You gotta be kidding me, as if this place wasn't weird enough."  
"Yeah. Say Leon, Kirigiri, you know how we were all unconscious yesterday?"  
"Sure."  
"You know how I was the last one to show up?"  
"Where are you going with this, Naegi?" Kirigiri asked.  
"What I mean is this 'where do you guys wake up'?"  
"Personally, I woke up in the gymnasium." Leon said.  
"Did you get a look at the time?" Naegi asked.  
"No, Naegi, I didn't. Why?"  
"I'm trying to come up with inconsistencies between when we first arrived here, and when we woke up."  
"Have you found any yet?" Leon asked.  
"No, but I'm still looking. Kirigiri, where did you wake up? And do you know when?"  
"I do not know when. But I do know where."  
"Where do you wake up?"  
"My room."  
"Your room?"  
"How strange." Leon said. "I mean, I didn't wake up in my room. And I'm assuming Naegi didn't either."  
"No, I didn't. I woke up in one of the classrooms."  
"I see."  
"It's time I get going." Kirigiri said.  
"Where are you going?" Leon asked.  
"There are things I must sort out."  
"What things, Kirigiri?" Naegi said.  
"Personal things." She said as she walked off.  
"What's her problem?" Leon asked.  
"Well, this environment isn't exactly conducive to making friends."  
"Conducive?"  
"Yeah, conducive?"  
"What in the world does 'conducive' even mean?"  
"It means 'preferred'."  
"Ah. I suppose that is true. This situation isn't exactly ideal for making friends."  
"But I got a different sense from her than I did from Togami."  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"Well, if Togami gets the chance, he'll off someone and try to get away with it."  
"Yeah, I got that."  
"It's different with Kirigiri. The impression I'm getting from her about this situation is 'I'm going to beat this situation and, no, I don't care whether you like me, hate me, or are ambivalent towards me. You can either join me or get out of the way. Because I'm not going to hesitate to leave you behind.'"  
"Aha, I see."  
"Hey, Naegi?"  
"Yeah. I got word from Celeste that Ishimaru wanted a meeting this afternoon."  
"Is that so? What time?"  
"I think 4 this afternoon? Apparently, he wanted enough time for the news to disseminate throughout the school."

\- AUTHOR NOTE: Please go ahead and leave a review or recommend this to fellow fans. I want to hear the reactions from readers.


	5. It Doesn't Mattress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Creation of Chapters 5 and 6 mirrors the creation of Sonic 3 & Knuckles: split in two.

Chapter 5

"Disseminate? But there's only sixteen of us, including Monokuma!" Naegi pointed out.  
"Yeah. But there are several anti-social people here." Leon said.  
"Seriously?"  
"Have you not met Yamada and Fukawa yet?"  
"Point taken. So, Leon, where are you going to go?"  
"Probably see if I can't get that trapdoor in the Incinerator Room unlocked."  
"What?"  
"You didn't notice that?"  
"No. I mean, I peeked inside the Incinerator Room but I didn't really look around too much in there."  
"Well, I'm going to try and do that. And, then, after that, I'm going to the gymnasium again."  
"Again?"  
"That's where we spent most of our time after we finished exploring the first floor, trying to figure out how Monokuma did what he did."  
"I see."  
"And you?"  
"I'm probably going to go rummage through the desks in the classroom. They're may be something in there."  
"Like what?"  
"Like something that would tell us how long we were out in between when we got here and now. My guess is these metallic coverings didn't go up in a matter of minutes. So the question is how long were we unconscious? Hours? Days? Weeks?  
"I doubt it's weeks since we first arrived here."  
"So you say, but there's a psychotic mechanical teddy bear telling us to murder each other."  
"So Naegi, what do you plan to do when you get out of here?" Leon asked.  
"Leon, you're seriously asking that question. Are you trying to jinx me?" Naegi commented.  
"Well, if anybody can overcome that jinx, it would be you. After all, you are the Luckster."  
"Fair enough."  
"So what are you going to do?"  
"First, I'm going to eat all of my favorite foods. I'm going to sleep in my own bed. And then I'm going to marathon the television shows I missed. And then I'm going to burn through my favorite video games."  
"Sleep?"  
"Yeah, dude. You think we're going to get restful sleep in here?... And that's not anywhere what you meant, was it?"  
. Leon chuckled. "Wow, dude."  
"Yeah, yeah, very funny. You and your mind."  
"Actually, I was thinking you'd end up in the role of Maizono's teddy bear. But okay. If you want to go there, by all means."  
"Really, Leon? In this situation?"  
"Hey, it's not in my place to dictate the pacing of your 'relationship.'"  
. Naegi groaned. What was he going to do about Maizono anyway?  
"Leon, what makes you think I'm going to end up as Maizono's 'teddy bear'?"  
"Between the two of you, who is more likely to have the luxury mattress?"  
"I hate you so much right now."  
"What type of mattress would Maizono have anyway?" Leon smirked.  
"I hope you realize how WEIRD this sounds out of context."  
"Yeah, but it's still generally amusing."  
"If you say so."  
. Meanwhile, Maizono opened her eyes. She missed her tempurpedic mattress back home. "Today's a new day." Her stomach grumbled. "But first, breakfast." She rolled over and fell out of bed face first. "Ow." She was sure Monokuma was watching, and laughing its ass off on the other end of the cameras. She rolled over and faced the ceiling.  
"Maybe, Naegi has already found a way out?" She thought. "Nah. I may like the guy, I may like the guy a lot. But he's not that good." She laid out spread-eagle on the floor and closed her eyes again. "Then again, good ol' Naegi is probably not the male version of a Mary Sue. He may be resistant to being punched, and he may be quick-witted, but that is something he is most decidedly not."  
She put on her clothes and walked to the cafeteria. Celeste was there, sipping tea.  
"Hello, Celeste."  
"Hello, Maizono."  
"How long have you been here?"  
"I've only been here for about fifteen, maybe twenty minutes."  
"I see."  
"Have you figured out anything, Celeste?" Maizono asked.  
"Not yet, I'm going to go explore the first floor again after I've finished sipping my tea."  
"Do you have any place in mind to explore?"  
"Not yet. I was thinking I was just going to poke around."  
"I see."  
"What's your connection to Naegi?" The question appeared to come so suddenly.  
"I'm sorry?"  
"What. Is. Your. Connection. To. Naegi?"  
"I. Went. To. Middle. School. With. Him. Why are you asking?"  
"Because I got a look at your face yesterday when Oowada nearly knocked Naegi out. I could seriously see you murdering someone for Naegi's sake. If someone threatened Naegi, I could see you grabbing a knife from the kitchen and stabbing the attacker in the heart."  
"Celeste... don't say stuff like that!"  
"I'm saying it because I'm curious. Does Naegi really mean that much for you?"  
"Celeste?"  
"Yes?"  
"Do you remember how Monokuma had said "From now on, this school will be your whole world.' and how we need 'to cut ties with the outside world'?"  
"I vaguely recall hearing that first sentence. And yeah. Okay."  
"There's your answer."  
"There's my answer? How intriguing, you are" Celeste paused for a moment. "very deft at avoiding questions."  
"It's part of the career."  
Celeste chuckled. "It's part of mine as well."  
"Those metallic coverings are really an eye-sore." Maizono said, trying to change the topic.  
"You could almost call it 'Metallic Madness'". Fujisaki had entered the cafeteria.  
"What's 'Metallic Madness'?" Celeste said.  
"It's the final level in the SEGA CD game Sonic CD, one of the only decent games for the system." Fujisaki replied.  
"You're interested in video games, Fujisaki?" Maizono asked.  
"What kinda of a question is that? I am the programmer." Fujisaki replied. "Of course, I would be interested in video games."  
"What types of video games are you most interested in?" Celeste asked.  
"Platformers." Fujisaki said. "Actually, anything except dating sims, to be honest."  
"Why not dating sims?" Maizono asked.  
"I don't know. I've just never been able to work around with them." Fujisaki replied.  
"Do you have a favorite platformer?" Celeste said.  
"Sonic 3 & Knuckles because of its unique properties."  
"Why?" Maizono asked. "What unique properties does Sonic 3 & Knuckles have?"  
"Well, Sonic 3 was originally released in May of 1994, and Sonic & Knuckles was released in October 1994."  
"Sounds like a cheap money-making scheme to me." Celeste said.  
"Well, it was more to work around technical limitations." Fujisaki replied. "Sonic & Knuckles contained a cartridge slot that allowed you to insert any SEGA Genesis cartridge released on it, and depending on the cartridge you got new games."  
"Really? Such as?"  
"Well, if you put Sonic 3 on it, you got Sonic 3 & Knuckles. If you put Sonic the Hedgehog 2, you got the ability to play as Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2."  
"Let me guess. If you put the original game in you got the ability to play as Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 1, am I right?" Celeste snarked,  
"Actually, no, you got Blue Sphere."  
"Blue Sphere? What's that?"  
"It's the special stage for Sonic 3 & Knuckles."  
"Okay. So what do you have to do, collect Maizono's irises?"  
"Hey!" Maizono sounded indignant.  
"Well, your irises are almost exact same shade of blue. I'm serious. It's almost scary. But, actually you were supposed to turn the blue spheres into red spheres. Turn all of the blue spheres into red spheres, you get an Emerald. Collect all the rings and you get a perfect. But you automatically use lose if you touch a red sphere. And contrary to the mistake of many newbies and idiots, Knuckles does not collect the red spheres either." Fujisaki commented.  
"I see." Celeste said. "And what happens if you didn't have a Sonic cartridge to put onto Sonic & Knuckles?"  
"That'd be a ridiculously contrived situation."  
"Why so?"  
"Sonic 1 came bundled with the SEGA Genesis. Later, Sonic 2 came bundled with the game instead. So the idea of someone owning a SEGA Genesis with Sonic & Knuckles, but not another Sonic cartridge is almost contrived."  
"I see. But still what happens if you put on a non-Sonic cartridge anyway?"  
"Well that actually depends on the file size."  
"What?"  
"Yeah, Sonic & Knuckles employed a bit of programming where it read the last 2 MB of the cartridge you put on top."  
"Only 2 MB?" Maizono said. "That's tiny."  
"It was the 1990s. Anyway, Sonic & Knuckles has the honor of being one of the first cases of backwards compability in video game history, as well as in-game patching."  
"In-game patching?" Celeste said.  
"Yes. 'Knuckles in Sonic 2 contained some in-game patching. It patched in Knuckles' sprites and button mappings. It added things such as 1-UP boxes in Chemical Plant zone. It also patched some collision data in Casino Night Zone."  
"I see."  
"Yep. But to answer your original question about what happens if you put a non-Sonic game on Sonic & Knuckles. It depends on how large the cartridge is. If it's over 2 MB, it just runs Sonic & Knuckles. If it's under 2 MB like most cartridges released before Sonic & Knuckles were, then you get some randomly generated Blue Sphere stages, not as much as the full set from Sonic 1, but you get a couple dozen."  
"This is all very interesting." Maizono said. "I had no idea that programming could contain so much."  
"Yes, indeed, it is. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go get something to eat." Fujisaki got up from the table.  
"Mountain Dew and ... nacho-flavored Doritos for brunch?" Celeste said. "That can't be healthy."  
"Oh, it isn't." Fujisaki calmly replied. "But it's my comfort food."  
Maizono sweat-dropped. Fujisaki was a little bit weird.  
"So, Fujisaki, you mentioned Sonic CD?" Maizono asked. "Do you like that game as well?"  
"Yeah. It focuses more on platforming and exploration than the typical Sonic speed, but it's still pretty good. It's widely considered a cult-classic along with Knuckles Chaotix for the SEGA 32-X."  
"32-X? What's that?" Maizono asked.  
"It was one of the multiple add-ons SEGA used for the Genesis/Megadrive. It flopped, hard. Codenamed Project Jupiter, it was meant to compete with the Atari Jaguar. (Hehehe... Jaguar..) Since it was released only months before the SEGA Saturn, so there was no reason for any developer to create games for it.  
Looking pensive, with a finger near the mouth, Fujisaki continued. "I suppose if it and the SEGA CD add-on had been released earlier in the Genesis/Megadrive lifespan, it might have worked. "  
"How so?" Celeste asked.  
"Well, they could have developed 16-bit versions of games that up-scaled to 32 bit of you inserted them into the 32-X add-on. But perhaps the idea would have been enough to attract sales for the system. 32-Bit versions of Sonic the Hedgehog games would have been really good from a marketing standpoint, especially compared to the 16-bit Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World."  
"Fujisaki, I have no idea what in the world you're talking about." Maizono admitted. "16-bit. 32-bit, what?"  
"Well, in order to create games, you need objects, which were originally called sprites. 16-bit refers to the amount of different colors you could use on objects. 16-bit gave you the ability to use sixteen different colors for the sprites. 32-bit enabled you to have 32 different colors. By the time '64'-bit came around though it was the early stages of 3-D with polygons." Fujisaki continued to ramble on and on about how some franchises suffered with the polygon ceiling.  
"You could only have a certain amount of colors so what?" Maizono said.  
"You want a direct example of that?" Fujisaki said.  
"Sure."  
"Knuckles' socks."  
"His socks?"  
"Yes, his socks. Originally Knuckles the Echidina was supposed to wear green socks in the cut-scenes. But because it messed with the color palette, so they went with yellow socks instead."  
"I see."  
Fujisaki returned to rambling about polygon consoles.  
"The SEGA Saturn used quadrilaterals for its geometrical polygons whereas most systems used triangles."  
Maizono looked perplexed.  
"Fujisaki, I am not a geometry expert. What's the different between quadrilateral and triangular polygons?"  
"Well, quadrilateral polygons allow for smoother surfaces. Triangular polygons allow for more terrain variation in terms of the landscape of levels. Though I suppose you could turn a quadrilateral into a triangular by bringing two corners of the shape extremely close together."  
. Maizono put her head on the table. Fujisaki's long-winded talking was too complex for her to understand, and the programmer still wasn't done.  
"Well, the Nintendo 64-DD was more of a commercial failure than any of SEGA's add-ons for the Genesis. It only had nine games ever released for the system, and it was released at the end of the Nintendo 64's life-cycle, by which time the next batch of consoles such as the Dreamcast had been slotted to be created."  
"The Dreamcast? Who thought that was a good name for a console?" Celeste snarked.  
"SEGA."  
"Of course."  
"The Dreamcast died so young!"  
"Uh, Fujisaki, what are you talking about?" Maizono questioned.  
"Despite having superior hardware specs and being released the earliest, the Dreamcast lost out to the GameCube, the original Xbox, and the PlayStation. It's been validated nowadays, and is a favorite of the Internet."  
"If the Dreamcast had superior specs and was released first, why did it lose out?" Celeste said, twirling her hair. "Seems to me it should have been won."  
"Stupid pirate protection." Fujisaki muttered furiously. "And how expensive Shenmue was."  
"What?"  
"Dreamcast games were so ridiculously easy to pirate, it wasn't funny. And Shenmue was so expensive that in order to make back its' budget, everybody would have had to purchase it twice."  
"Seriously? A game had that kind of budget? When? But the pirating thing... Okay. That makes sense."  
"The original Shenmue was released in 1999 in Japan and 2000 everywhere else. It got rave and almost near-perfect reviews." The programmer went back to eating Doritos and drinking Mountain Dew. Fujisaki resolved to go on a binge of Dreamcast titles after this was all over.  
A little while later, a hooded figure entered the cafeteria. There was a pressing question that needed to be asked...  
"Why is Fujisaki eating Doritos and drinking Mountain Dew?"

\- AUTHOR'S NOTE: Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 were originally one chapter. But it kept expanding and expanding. So I ended up pulling a Sonic 3 & Knuckles. (Chapter 6 isn't quite finished at the time of posting.) I also had great enjoyment writing for the introverted Fujisaki. And if Asahina can mention Charles Barkley and Shaq and Kirigiri can mention Ellery Queen, it's not out of the question for Fujisaki to know gaming consoles. Long live the Dreamcast!  
\- AUTHOR NOTE: Please go ahead and leave a review or recommend this to fellow fans. I want to hear the reactions from readers.


	6. Chippy Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As life slows down, the developments build.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally Posted April 2015

Chapter 6

"Why is Fujisaki eating Doritos and drinking Mountain Dew?"  
"Hello, Naegi." Maizono greeted the hooded boy.  
"Hey, Maizono. So what are the three of you doing?"  
"We've been learning that you should never have add -ons when it comes to video games." Celeste snarked.  
"What?"  
"Yeah." Maizono said. "Blue Sphere."  
"Maizono, you have two eyes." Naegi said.  
"I should hope so." Celeste said. "Otherwise, we'd be in big trouble."  
"Damn it Naegi, you too? Wait, Naegi, you know about Sonic the Hedgehog?" Maizono said.  
"What?" Naegi questioned. "Yeah. I mean, it is one of my favorite franchises, and considering Kirigiri is basically the human version of Blaze the Cat."  
Fujisaki started laughing.  
"What's so funny, Fujisaki?" Celeste asked.  
"Okay, okay. Blaze the Cat has appeared in Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure for the Nintendo DS. Do either of you know about Miyamoto's opinions about cats?"  
Naegi started laughing too. "You're right, that is funny."  
"Huh?" Celeste looked more perplexed than she had ever been in her life.  
"Naegi, would you do the honors of explaining this?"  
"Certainly, Fujisaki. Okay, at an E3, Miyamoto said 'Cats are interesting. They are kind of like girls. If they come and talk to you, it's great. But if you try to talk to them, it doesn't always go so well.'" Naegi continued to laughed hilariously.  
"Okay, I'm just going to smile and nod." Maizono looked confused.  
"My original question of why you couldn't play Knuckles in Sonic 1 still hasn't been answered." Celeste said.  
"When did you mention that?" Fujisaki asked.  
"Never mind." Celeste said, trying to change the topic. "Can you answer the question?"  
"Well, I've heard that it was due to collision detection with the saws in Scrap Brain Zone." Fujisaki said. "But there's more to it than that. The color pallettes also didn't match up for well. For instance, Marble Zone is the only zone among the Genesis cartridges to feature any version of purple. No zones in Sonic 2 or 3 & Knuckles use those shades of purple. And Knuckles' normal sprites, even without his socks and shoes, requires three types of reds."  
"Really?" Naegi said. "Couldn't they have made new sprites for Knuckles using the reds and oranges from Spring Yard Zone for Knuckles' sprites instead outlined by some black lines? And I know Green Hill had the required greens for his socks too, and a yellow from Labyrinth Zone could have been used as well for his shoes."  
"That might work in theory." Fujisaki conceded. "But in practice, that could be unreasonably difficult to code."  
"I always thought it was more of the fact that the Spindash wasn't available in Sonic 1, and trying to implement it with the speed cap and air cap would have made it impractical." Naegi continued.  
"That could be a possibility." Fujisaki admitted. "I'll run through both of the cartridges code when I get out of here. I'm curious now."  
"Speed cap?" Maizono asked.  
"Air Cap?" Celeste questioned.  
"Speed caps and air caps were present in the original game. The story is that the creator said that Sonic was going too fast, and that it needed to be slowed down." Naegi said, hands folded behind his hand. "But it was more due to making it easier to program. The caps were removed for Sonic 2, and as a result in certain levels on the original Genesis games, you could actually outrun the screen."  
"Seriously?" Maizono said.  
"Blast processing at its finest." Naegi said.  
"What's Blast Processing?" Celeste asked.  
"It's a marketing slogan to emphasizing the processing speed of the Genesis's games." Naegi said.  
Fujisaki slammed a hand to the forehead. "I just thought of something SEGA could have released for the 32-X!"  
"And what's that?" Maizono said.  
"Remastered versions of the Genesis titles packed with new features, including a full-blown port of Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 1. It would feature a spin-dash, the seventh emerald, and save functions! If Sonic 3 & Knuckles could provide eight save files for the bare-bones Genesis, then the 32-X certainly could have handled the differences in color palette between the original game and Knuckles's sprites. After all, it has 32 color slots instead of 16!"  
"Moving on to new topic, Naegi, why do you have your hood up?" Maizono asked.  
"Oh, this? I felt like being a bit stealthy."  
"How's that working out for you?" Celeste said.  
"Not very well. I got a lecture from Ishimaru about how we shouldn't wear hoods indoors. I just slipped away from a debate between Oowada and Ishimaru about whether's it's appropriate to wear hoods in this school environment. Oowada was for hoods, and Ishimaru was against."  
"That sounds oddly in character for the two of them." Celeste said.  
"Yeah, it does."  
"As long as they don't end up killing each other over this." Celeste said.  
"I hope you mean literally." Monokuma had appeared. "I would love to see some death in here, it beats listening to you guys discuss outdated consoles from the 1990s."  
. Fujisaki stopped eating chips and looked worried. If Monokuma was here, what dastardly suggestions would he pull next?  
"No, of course not." Celeste said. "I don't WANT them to kill each other. We've only been in here for a day, imagine if someone saw us. Think about what that says for human nature."  
"You're saying like that's not the preferred outcome, but you could handle the alternative." Naegi pointed out Celeste's choice of words.  
"See, Naegi gets it!" Monokuma raised his paws. "I knew you would started coming around to my way of thinking!"  
"No, I'm still not agreeing with you, you little piece of crap." Naegi replied.  
"Do you know what Naegi said to me this morning, Fujisaki?"  
"I have no idea." Fujisaki said timidly.  
"The words still apply here, Monokuma!" Naegi pointed out.  
"He said. He said. 'Now, go away, you crazy little psycho.' Can you believe it?"  
. Fujisaki glanced at Naegi and then at Monokuma and then back at Naegi.  
"Yes."  
"Monokuma, of course, you're a crazy little psycho. You've locked us in here, you're saying we have to murder each other to get out, and you make bears puns non-stop."  
"You're flanderizing me! I refuse to be flanderized."  
"Too late."  
"Naegi, that third thing is rather underwhelming." Celeste said. "Is it really that bad?"  
"You've never heard them, Celeste. You've never heard them."  
"I can agree with him on that." Maizono seconded Naegi's statement.  
"It's an example of Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking." Fujisaki helpfully pointed out.  
"Thank you for catching that. I thought I would have to explain it like I did Xanatos Gambit."  
"Yeah, well, otherwise you would have become Mr. Exposition."  
"[Beat] Giving Mr. Exposition too many lines in succession becomes very dull."  
"Naegi, why did you just say 'Beat'?" Celeste questioned.  
"That's because it's another trope." Fujisaki replied.  
"And also because I mean to say this, 'Beat it, Monokuma'." Naegi interjected.  
"Michael Jackson!" Maizono said.  
"Michael Jackson?" Monokuma said.  
"'Beat it', it's a song by Michael Jackson. You know, the King of Pop?"  
"Huh." Naegi looked confused.  
"Oh, never mind." Maizono gave up.  
"You know Michael Jackson was rumored to be involved in the music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3?" Fujisaki said.  
"Wait, seriously?" Maizono said. "I had no idea."  
"Well, it's just a rumor. But apparently Carnival Night shares some chords with 'Jam', and the credits music for Sonic 3 alone would become the basis for 'Strangers in Moscow'. I think, anyway."  
"If it hasn't been confirmed yet, then it's still just an Urban Legend of Zelda." Naegi commented. "Albeit one with more support than most."  
"Oh, Zelda. That kid who always becomes that hero of Destiny and who gains the Master Sword to defeat Ganon." Maizono said.  
"I think the internet has just lost all respect for you." Fujisaki said.  
"What? Why?" Maizono said.  
"The hero of the Legend of Zelda series is named Link." Naegi corrected Maizono.  
"Seriously? What's up with that?" Maizono said.  
"Fun fact, the series is also where the phrase 'Hijacked by Ganon' comes from." Fujisaki said.  
"So, if this were to be 'hijacked by Ganon', would that mean someone else ends up usurping Monokuma's operator as the mastermind behind this whole operation?" Naegi questioned.  
"No, I'm not going to be hijacked by Ganon! I'm the real and final boss, you got it!" Monokuma looked absolutely enraged.  
"You know what, it's a shame we don't have an artillery piece in here with us." Naegi commented.  
"Oh, why is that?" Celeste said.  
"Because Monokuma is right there and then this 'game' would be hijacked by cannon!"  
. Monokuma put his head down on the table as Maizono snickered.  
"Oh, Naegi, that was legitimately a good pun-chline." Celeste admitted between chuckling.  
"Celeste, not you too." Monokuma looked despondent.  
"What do you mean, Monokuma?"  
"Naegi always makes puns with the word pun in them! Pun-chline. 'I pull no pun-ches with my humor.' The list goes on."  
"Well, it's fitting, Monokuma. You saw fit to incite murder among us so we're going to pun-ish you." Naegi pointed out.  
"Argh! I can't stand it. I'm about to leave anyway!"  
"Thank you."  
. Suddenly, the door opened.  
"So, please tell me you're planning to murder right now?" Monokuma asked.  
"What kind of idiot would I be to respond to that particular question?" Byakuya Togami had walked in.  
"Hey, Togami."  
"Hello, Naegi." He noticed Naegi's hood was up. "So that's why Ishimaru and Oowada were arguing about wearing hoods inside outside."  
"Yeah... Togami, have they harmed each other in anyway?" Naegi said.  
"They've mostly been shouting at each other. But I don't see them physically attacking each other."  
"Good."  
"You know, it might be good if they finished each other off." Togami remarked. "Our average IQ would go up."  
"You and Celeste both." Monokuma said.  
"What?"  
"He's twisting my words, Togami." Celeste coolly replied.  
"I see. I'm not surprised."  
"What, you actually trust the word of her over your headmaster?" Monokuma looked comically outraged.  
"Well, that's not saying much. You're hardly the most trustworthy 'thing' here."  
" 'Thing', I'm a bear who happens to be your headmaster." Monokuma pointed out. "But I suppose you'll warm up to me in time. Everybody always does."  
"If we warm up to you, that would be classic case of Stockholm syndrome." Togami coolly replied.  
"Togami, what are you doing here anyway?" Naegi asked.  
"I came to get some Luwack Coffee. Is that so wrong?"  
"No, it's not. I was just curious."  
"Now, I have a question for you. Where is Leon Kuwata?" Togami asked.  
"Why?"  
"I need to ask him something."  
"What is it?" Celeste questioned.  
"How do you get rid of a stalker?" Togami admitted, pointing over his shoulder to Fukawa, who was peering through the doorway rather anxiously. "She's been following me all day while I tried to figure this place out."  
"What the?" Maizono commented. "Why would any girl be attracted to you?"  
"Wait, Togami, did you say you came for coffee?" Naegi asked, cutting across Maizono's words before it could seriously escalate.  
"Yes."  
"Huh, that makes two coffee drinkers in this school." Naegi replied.  
"Naegi, what do you mean?" Maizono asked.  
"I ran into Kirigiri this morning. She was also drinking coffee." Naegi explained.  
"Is that so?" Togami looked almost interested.  
"Yeah."  
"Why are you telling me this?" Togami asked rhetorically.  
. Meanwhile, Kirigiri was almost done searching the gymnasium again. She was at the podium, inspecting every inch.  
"I still can't figure out how Monokuma popped out originally." She muttered to herself.  
"Hello, Kirigiri."  
"Who's there?" She looked up from behind the podium. It was a smirking Leon.  
"Hello, Leon."  
"What are you doing?"  
"I'm trying to figure out how Monokuma first showed up."  
"I can see why you would do that. That little bugger came out of nowhere."  
"Yeah. And I'm trying to figure it out."  
"We already spent basically all of yesterday while Naegi was recuperating trying to figure this out."  
"And your point is?"  
"My point is, does it really matter how he did it? He did it, and now we should just focus on trying to get out of here."  
"That would be a good strategy except he's able to come out anywhere, and I'm trying to figure out how he does it."  
"I see. So you want to be able to understand how he can move throughout the school and be able to anticipate it?"  
"Yes."  
"That makes sense."  
"Hey, you two, what's up!" Asahina had arrived in the gymnasium with Oogami in there as well.  
"Hello, Kirigiri, Leon." Oogami said.  
"Hey, you two." Leon said.  
"So what are you two doing?" Asahina asked.  
"Well, she's trying to figure out how Monokuma appeared yesterday." Leon said. "I only just got here a little before you two did."  
"Really, we tried figuring that out yesterday." Asahina said. "We had no such luck with it."  
"I know that, but Kirigiri here thinks that the first step is figuring out how Monokuma can appear wherever he wants."  
. He spun around three-hundred-and-sixty degrees.  
"Leon, why are you doing that?" Asahina questioned.  
"Because I expected him to come out and start prattling about." Leon answered.  
"Did you?" And instantly the hairs on Leon's neck stood straight up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please Leave A Review. Reviews are how I adjust the story.


	7. Snakebit!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the character of Yamada is firmly established.

Chapter 7:

. Leon did not like the sound of that voice. And you know something, he never would. It was obnoxious, it was ear-grating, but most of all, it was surprisingly persuasive. Monokuma was a constant reminder of the setup of this place, and an intrusion on the nerves.  
"Monokuma!" Asahina gasped.  
"Asahina."  
. Kirigiri's eyes narrowed. Monokuma had managed to appear right under their noses, but for all of her observatory skills she still couldn't pinpoint how he had managed to suddenly appear as he did. She had just watched him show up seemingly out of nowhere and yet, she still had no idea what had happened. All she knew for certain was that Monokuma was right there. There must have been something going on above her head. And yet...  
. Ishimaru and Oowada had moved to the front of the laundry room, and were still arguing about hoodies.  
"It is not acceptable to wear any sort of head covering indoors!"  
"WE'RE TRAPPED IN HERE! IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE GOING TO BE OUTSIDE ANYTIME SOON!"  
"Not acceptable under any circumstances."  
"The hell, man? Your 'rules' don't work anymore. They've all been thrown out the window."  
"The windows are covered up!"  
"Ah. So you're one of those literal-minded types who can't get a metaphor." Oowada continued to get into Ishimaru's face.  
"Maybe so, but in this semblance of chaos, we should at least create order. We may have to spend the rest of our lives in here."  
" I don't know about you, but I am NOT spending the rest of my life in here.I got too many promises to keep."  
"Hey, Fukawa!" Ishimaru suddenly shouted from in front of the laundry room. "You've been hearing our dispute for the last few minutes, can't you agree that I'm right?"  
"Wwhhhaat?" Fukawa protested. "Can't you see I'm following my White Knight?"  
"I think you mean 'stalking'." Oowada said.  
"Oooooo, BURN!" Naegi shouted from the cafeteria.  
"Shut up!" Fukawa protested.  
"Naegi! Why are you still wearing your hood?" Ishimaru pointed out. "You must take it off immediately!"  
"Because I felt like it!"  
"Hey, man. Lay off him. Is his hood really the worst of our problems?"  
"No, but it's a solvable one! And we must start by solving the problems that we can." Ishimaru marched up to Naegi and was about to yank off the hood off Naegi's head...  
"Hands off the hood, Ishimaru." Maizono growled so threateningly that it compelled Ishimaru to stop.  
"You are something else, man, you know that!" Oowada said.  
"It's not my fault. It is unacceptable to wear hoods indoor."  
"You know what, if my jacket had a hood on it, I would be wearing it too. So shut up!"  
"But your jacket does not have hood with it. Naegi's does,and he should take it off immediately!"  
"If he wants to leave it on, he should be able to." Oowada countered as he marched over to Ishimaru.  
"No."  
"Yes."  
"No."  
"Yes."  
"No."  
"Yes."  
"No."  
. And suddenly Ishimaru and Oowada went quiet. Fujisaki sunk down into the chair out of fear. Celeste smirked. Togami and Fukawa both felt the need to request earplugs next time they saw Monokuma.  
"STOP ARGUING ABOUT NAEGI'S HOODIE OR SO HELP ME I'LL BASH YOUR HEADS TOGETHER!" Maizono shouted, shaking her fists at them. "IF HE WANTS TO WEAR IT, HE'S GONNA WEAR IT! YOU GOT THAT!"  
"Woah, uh, Maizono, you wanna dial it back there?" Naegi hesitatingly asked.  
"Fine. I was just a little peeved at them." Maizono admitted.  
"A little peeved?" Togami commented. Maizono shot him a death glare.  
"Well, I think it's time I go somewhere else." Maizono said airily as she walked out of the cafeteria.  
Naegi followed after her.  
"Sorry about that. I think the stress of this situation might be getting to her a teeny bit." Naegi admitted, as he backed out of the cafeteria.  
"A teeny bit?" Fukawa noted Naegi's choice of words as Naegi left the scene.  
"So... does anybody else want to explain what just happened?" Ishimaru said.  
"Yeah, man. I think we've learned something here. Don't touch Naegi's hood." Oowada said.  
"You're both dumbasses." Celeste said.  
"Hey you guys, what did I miss?"  
"Oh, it's only the model." Fukawa said.  
"At least I AM a Camelot." Enoshima snarked. "Unlike you."  
"What the HELL are you talking about?" Fukawa asked.  
"Hey, hey, I'm the one with the Knight motifs here." Celeste pointed out.  
. Togami pushed his spectacles up. This conversation could get very interesting. The more he heard from his classmates, the more he could understand them, and the more he could predict their movements and their tendencies.  
"What the hell are you girls referencing?" Oowada said.  
. It was Fujisaki who answered, a little bit timidly. "You've never seen Monty Python?"  
"Monty Python? Who likes that show?" Togami asked.  
"The Beatles did. Both John Lennon and George Harrison were massive fans." Leon had arrived. "So who here is a Monty Python fan?" Enoshima, Celeste and Fujisaki raised their hands.  
"Why?" Leon said.  
"Because I'm a fan of European media." Celeste said.  
"Because people kept slyly insulting me with the It's only a model' line and I was determined to find out where it was from." Enoshima admitted.  
"Because I thought it was a tutorial about the Python coding language." Fujisaki admitted.  
"Wait a minute, Fujisaki, there's a type of programming called 'Python'?" Leon said.  
"Yeah. I was determined to learn how to code in Python and I stumbled across 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' because I thought it was a Python tutorial and I absolutely loved it."  
"Well, I gotta say, that's the strangest way ever to discover it, but definitely the most interesting." Leon observed.  
"Yeah, my dad was a bit weirded out when I started strutting around the house with silly walks and having this exchange with him.  
"'I'm learning how to program.'  
'In what language?'  
'Python. Monty Python.'"  
"So why are you interested in it, Leon?" Enoshima asked.  
"Well, if half of the Beatles have recommended a television program, it's worth checking out." Leon said.  
"I see." Celeste said.  
"Well, I have no idea who this 'Monty Python' is. And I don't really care. I am outta here." Oowada said.  
"It's time for me to go too. I feel I should take a nap. Remember to be in the cafeteria at 4:30 today!" Ishimaru said as he trudged back to his room.  
"You guys are all too weird." Togami said, adjusting his glasses. "And it's time I take my leave back to my room. Goodbye." Togami left, with Fukawa tailing behind him before entering her own room.  
"We're all prodigies. Prodigies are weird." Fujisaki resumed eating Doritos and drinking Mountain Dew. The programmer paused for a moment. "You know, did he ever get his Luwack coffee?" Fujisaki asked.  
"You know what, I don't think he did." Celeste said.  
"And he also meant to ask Leon how to get rid of a stalker." Fujisaki commented.  
"What?!" Leon said. "What's this about a stalker?"  
"Fukawa's stalking Togami." Celeste commented.  
"Why?" Leon asked.  
"That's exactly what Maizono said." Celeste replied.  
"So, Leon, what were you doing?" Enoshima asked, hurriedly, trying to change the subject.  
"Well, I was in the gymnasium. Kirigiri is STILL trying to figure out how Monokuma appears seemingly out of thin air. Asahina and Oogami were in there too." Leon replied.  
"Wait a minute." Celeste begin rattling off the names of everyone in here. "Me, Fujisaki, Leon, Enoshima, Naegi, Maizono, Kirigiri, Asahina, Oogami, Fukawa, Togami, Ishimaru, and Oowada. That's only thirteen of us who have been seen today."  
"Who are we missing?" Fujisaki asked.  
"Yamada and Hagakure." Leon said.  
"You don't think the two of them ..." Enoshima started.  
"I doubt it." Celeste said.  
"What makes you say that?"  
"Hagakure is such an idiot that I'm pretty sure he still thinks this is all a prank, so he'll be fine." Celeste said. "But I can't speak for Yamada."  
"I'm sure Yamada's fine." Leon said.  
. Just then, they heard shouting.  
"I don't give a flying frick that you think I'm ' a kawaii princess'! STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"  
"Or not." Leon joked.  
"Oh, dear. This isn't going to end well." Celeste gasped. "You think she'll slap him?" She asked Enoshima.  
"Eh, probably."  
"Probably? With all that yelling? I would think it would be inevitable."  
. In front of the dorm rooms, Naegi was frantically doing his best to calm Maizono down to almost no avail, who was absolutely seething at Yamada. Yamada was not helping.  
"Master Makoto Naegi, what is wrong with trying to compliment a girl?" Yamada was saying.  
"It wasn't the compliment itself, Yamada. It was the timing and the whole sleazeball delivery." Naegi replied, as he was trying to box out Maizono from tearing Yamada to shreds.  
"But what was so wrong with either of those?" Yamada said.  
"Never interrupt a girl's thoughts when she's ready to dismember someone!"  
"But-"  
"Yamada, I suggest you leave!"  
Yamada put his head down silently and departed.  
"Good riddance." Maizono pouted.  
"Maizono, when's the last time you actually slept?" Naegi cautiously asked.  
"I-i-i-i-i-i"  
"And there's my answer. Come on, to bed with you, off you pop."  
Maizono gave Naegi her huge-eye look that she used to get anything she wanted.  
"Do you think you could..."  
"No." Naegi said completely deadpan.  
"What? You didn't even let me finish!"  
"I know what you were going to ask. I said 'No'."  
"Why?" Maizono asked innocently, taking Naegi's hands into her own.  
"Because."  
"Alright." Maizono pouted slightly as she trudged to her room.  
"Wow, dude." Leon commented to Naegi. Naegi jumped slightly.  
"Leon! Fujisaki! When did you get here!?"  
"We saw the whole thing." Leon said, munching on Fujisaki's Doritos.  
"What the?"  
"Yeah." Fujisaki concurred.  
"So you saw the whole thing?" Naegi sheepishly asked.  
"Well, we heard the 'I don't give a flying frick that you think I'm ' a kawaii princess'! STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!' and came jogging over because of it. Well, I came jogging over. Fujisaki strolled."  
"So Fujisaki can't exactly move as fast as an athlete. Big surprise."  
"HEY!"  
"Eh, calm down, We're just messing with ya." Leon said, nooging Fujisaki.  
"Never mind that, could you explain why you two decided to come over?"  
"We were bored. It seemed that Yamada would be involved and we were trying to account for everyone." Leon explained.  
"Everyone?" Naegi asked. "What do you mean?"  
"I mean, everyone except Hagakure has now been seen alive." Leon said.  
"Everybody except Hagakure? Seriously? You don't think ..."  
"Celeste doesn't seem to think so. We've only been trapped in this for about a day."  
"Still, should we try and do something about it?" Fujisaki proposed the suggestion.  
"It's Hagakure. I'm sure he'll show up sauntering about. If he doesn't show up at 4:30, then we'll start getting concerned." Leon replied.  
"Alright."  
. Just then, Asahina came sprinting over with Kirigiri not far behind, panting out of breath.  
"I heard yelling, what happened?" Asashina appeared worried.  
"Yy-eah. What happened?" Kirigiri was almost doubled over. She had never sprinted so hard before in her life.  
"You ran in heels. You really are Blaze the cat, Kirigiri." Naegi snarked.  
"Shut up, Naegi. What happened?" Kirigiri looked majorly annoyed as she used the wall to steady herself.  
"Well, Yamada was acting like a sleazeball." Naegi admitted.  
"How so?"  
"He saw that Maizono was getting peeved at him, but couldn't take a hint."  
"And?"  
"Well, I don't think Yamada asking how I managed to land such a 'kawaii princess' helped Maizono's mood at all."  
"Where's Maizono?" Asahina asked. "She's not going to go after Yamada, is she?"  
"I don't think so." Naegi said. "I mean, she was lacking in sleep."  
"That's not surprising." Enoshima walked up. "She didn't get any sleep last night. She woke me up at 2 AM because she was still so jumpy."  
"Jumpy? Just in general jumpy? Or Jumpy about something in particular?" Naegi asked.  
" She was just jumpy." Enoshima said.  
"I think there's nothing more for us to do here." Leon admitted. "Hey, Fujisaki, wanna head back to the cafeteria?"  
"I guess so."  
"I think I'm going to back to the gymnasium, Sakura is still there." Asahina said as she departed.  
"Actually, Naegi, there was a particular reason why Maizono didn't get any sleep." Enoshima admitted to Naegi.  
"Oh, what is that?" "  
"I'm staring at the reason right now."  
"What?"  
"I said 'I'm staring at the reason right now.'"  
"Yeah. Okay." The words took a moment to register.  
"Naegi, what's wrong?"  
"It's nothing. I'm going to go into my room now."  
"Naegi?" Enoshima asked as Naegi opened and shut the room to his door.  
"Enoshima, why did you tell him?" Kirigiri asked as she stood straight up.  
"Well, Maizono was never going to tell him herself." Enoshima explained. "And it's better he hear this now rather than later."  
"What makes you say that?" Kirigiri said.  
"Because this situation is only going to get more and more unpleasant. I might as well get that out of the way now so it doesn't come back to bite him later. Look at this way, it's a card Monokuma no longer holds."  
"I see. And I wonder what Naegi's reaction to that will be. He may not take this as well as you think he will."  
"We will see."  
"Yes, we will."  
"I'll see you later, Kirigiri." Enoshima said as she walked past her to her room.  
. While Celeste had eavesdropped on Enoshima's words, Naegi was slumped against his bedroom wall. His head was against his knees.  
"Maizono couldn't sleep last night just because I was decked! Guys get decked all the time! Why should I be any different? And that was just a situation I practically walked away from! What would her reaction would be if I got seriously wounded or even murdered? Would she go on a rampage of destruction inside this school? Who could calm her down?"

\- AUTHOR NOTE: Please go ahead and leave a review or recommend this to fellow fans. I want to hear the reactions from readers.


	8. The Female Factor

Chapter 8:

Kirigiri was rather quick to find the piece of paper in the classroom.  
"What have you got there, Kirigiri?" A voice broke the silence. It was Togami.  
"Ah. It's nothing." She replied in as monotone voice as possible.  
"Doesn't sound like it's nothing."  
"Well, I have to confirm what's on the paper. See if it's true or not."  
"Oh, so you're holding a card here. An element over the rest of us."  
"If that's how you want to put it, fine."  
"I intend to find out what's on that piece of paper, Kirigiri."  
"Well, as of now, you have unlimited time to do that. But if it's true, you'll find it out anyway."  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"I mean, after I confirm the state of its veracity, you'll know."  
"Question: What would have happened if I hadn't seen you find that piece of paper?"  
"Why are you bothering asking? You know that I know about it. Are you trying to assess how much of a threat I am?"  
. Togami's eyes narrowed. She wasn't giving him any ground. He didn't meet many people like that. There was almost nothing to work with here. He had no idea what Kirigiri's talent could be. He had never met her before this situation. This was their first real conversation so far, and he couldn't read her. If he was going to win this game, he needed to be able to read everybody. For instance, he could read that Fukawa was obsessing over him. He could read that Maizono would do just about anything Naegi asked. He could read that Oowada probably had family issues which lay at the heart of his temper.  
. Ishimaru probably studied a lot as child and didn't bother to make friends because he felt his studies were too important. Fujisaki had a slight inferiority complex while Celeste had a slight superiority complex. Enoshima had only been pretending to be a dumb blonde. Yamada had no desire to make friends unless they agreed with him on everything including his perverted sense of humor.  
. Hagakure had lost touch with reality, and Leon was a bit of a slacker. Asahina was a busybody, always had to be doing something, which made it not unusual that she had formed a friendship with the reserved mass of muscle known as Oogami.  
. And as for Naegi? He was one of those evolving types, that hero type that became stronger under increased stress. Naegi would either be Togami's greatest ally, or his biggest obstacle. But still he couldn't read Kirigiri. What was she? How much of a wild card was she?"  
"Something wrong, Togami?"  
"Ah. It's nothing."  
"Doesn't sound like nothing."  
Kirigiri smirked at her remark.  
"Ah." Togami thought. "So she has a flare for making witty comebacks. Depth in the intelligence department at the least." Togami made a mental note about Kirigiri's words.  
Just then, Togami spotted a pair of books.  
"Alright then, Kirigiri. Go and confirm whatever is on that paper."  
Kirigiri noted the sudden change in demeanor. It seemed like Togami was going to wrestle the paper from her. Now he was letting her go without incident.  
"What are you going to do with those books?"  
"What am I going to do with these books? I'm going to read them of course. I have to keep myself entertained after all. For now at the very least."  
"You make it sound like you have no intention of spending the rest of your life here."  
"I don't. Do you?"  
"Of course not."  
"Good. That's what I like to hear."  
. Maizono slept rather peacefully all things considered. Her dreams weren't making any sense though. There were in the classroom Maizono had woken up on their first day here.  
"Thank you, Naegi. Thank you for everything."  
"Maizono, what are you talking about? I didn't do anything. It was all you. All of it was you."  
"We both know that's a lie."  
"How so?"  
"You helped me through all of this. This whole ordeal. If it weren't for you, I would never have been able to cope with what happened."  
. She sensed that Naegi's expression hardened. "Yeah. Alright. If you insist. But it's what I do."  
"Well, even so, you've done it quite well. Even if the reason you're able to do it ..."  
"Enough about that. I'd rather you not bring that up."  
"But what happened wasn't your fault."  
"I know that."  
" I mean, it should never have happened. Did they ever consider your feelings on the matter?"  
"I know."  
"It just wasn't fair. Why should you be forced into that because your talent of Luckster is somehow less authentic than the rest of ours?"  
"I said I know, Maizono! Now, can we please drop the subject?"  
"Sorry."  
"It's okay. None of it was your fault."  
. Maizono suddenly slightly woke up, but the dream was fading away fast, and all she was left with was faint impressions of a somewhat, pleasant dream.  
"Bring up what, Naegi? And the Luckster is just as legitimate of a talent. Who would ever consider it anything but? I know I wouldn't."  
. And what was this ordeal that was brought up? Was it just this situation? Her head slightly ached, as though she was struggling to remember something that should have been there, but wasn't. She looked down and realized she had slept in her clothes. She knew she shouldn't have done that, but she didn't really care.  
. She checked her clock. It was almost time for the meeting. She went outside and ran into Togami on the way to the cafeteria.  
"Hey Togami."  
"Hey, Maizono."  
"Why aren't you hanging off of Naegi?"  
"I don't revolve completely around Naegi. There are other people here.  
"You could have fooled me."  
. At this point, Maizono noted the pair of books under Togami's arms.  
"Togami, what have you got there?"  
"What I have here are both volumes of H.G. Wells' 'An Outline of History.'"  
"Wait, there's a library in here?"  
"No. Not on this floor anyway. I actually got these from one of the classrooms."  
"I had no idea Wells also wrote history in addition to being a director."  
"No, that's Orson Welles. H.G. Wells is the one who also wrote 'The World of the Wars'. Orson Welles is the one who DIRECTED IT. Funny fact, the two did actually meet each other once."  
"Seriously?"  
"October 28th, 1940. But now, the more pressing question is how do you know about Orson Welles?"  
"I am kinda a film buff." Maizono sheepishly admitted. "I watched a lot of in-flight movies or on the tour buses in between gigs, and my manager was always saying I should watch some good old classic movies."  
"Is that so? But why Orson Welles?"  
"It's what my manager recommended, and besides what else do you think I was going to do en route? Play Monopoly?"  
"Monopoly? I love Monopoly. It's my second favorite board game behind chess."  
"Of course, it would be one of your favorite board games. Are you coming to the meeting at 4:30?"  
"Tentatively. I don't see why not. I'm just going to drop these books off in my room. One of you might actually have something worthwhile to say." He said as his back faded from Maizono's view.  
"Eh, considering he's usually an arrogant prick, I thought that conversation went rather well." Maizono mused. "I didn't want to deck him this time, so there's that."  
It was almost 4:30 P.M, and the gymnasium was almost empty except for Monokuma and a student.  
"You're going to have to. Unless you want it all destroyed."  
"I don't want to."  
"Too bad. I'm leaving you with no choice."  
"... I guess you leave me with no choice, I will kill someone."  
"My personal recommendation is Makoto Naegi."  
"Why? What's he done?"  
"What's he done is be a thorn in my side."  
"You mean he's not intimated by you."  
"Scratch that, you have to go after him, and you have to go after him now. He's in the cafeteria. That or Enoshima. And if you don't. I'll kill you myself for disobeying your headmaster."  
. The student was backed into a corner. The consequences of not agreeing with what Monokuma said spelled disaster for close ones outside.  
. Naegi sat alone in the cafeteria, quietly waiting for the meeting to start.  
"Hey- WAIT! Don't attack me." It was good thing for him he had become more nimble because he was just barely able to avoid the punch.  
"Why are you attacking me?"  
"I am truly sorry, but I have no choice."  
"You do realize what will happen if you kill me."  
"You do realize what will happen if I don't kill you."  
"Fair enough. You don't need to say anymore, but you do expect I am going to fight for my life."  
"Yes. But you will not survive."  
"When this is all over, neither will you."  
"I understood that."  
"Then why?"  
"There are other lives whom are more important my own life."  
Naegi made a break out of the cafeteria. There was safety in numbers, besides if everybody saw what was going on, they could probably help him. He wasn't as nimble as he thought he was as he stumbled out of the cafeteria.  
"Shit, if that punch lands, I'm not going to make it. AND I'm not out of the radius of the attack yet." Naegi closed his eyes. "So this is the end for me."  
"HOLD IT!" A voice shouted. "Hey, Naegi, want a piggyback ride?"  
"Enoshima!" Naegi was in shock. "What the hell?" As she put him on her back.  
"I heard the ruckus. It's almost time for the meeting."  
"And nobody else is hearing this?"  
"The rooms are soundproof, ah!" Enoshima said, as she dodged another punch.  
"Of course, how could I forget?" Naegi snarked.  
"Impressive, we're getting attacked, and you still have your wits about you." Enoshima replied.  
"Hey, I'm getting attacked. You've decided to be an idiot and help me."  
"What? I've grown fond of you."  
Enoshima continued to maneuver around the first floor. She found herself backed into the metal gate that barred off the second floor. At this point, people were starting to come out of their rooms.  
"What the hell!" Leon shouted. "Seriously!"  
"Naegi!" Maizono had been lost in her own thoughts. But she stared at horror at what unfolded in front of her. She couldn't lose Naegi, she wouldn't lose Naegi.  
"Holy crap." Ishimaru looked amazed. "Classmate, I beg you, please stop attacking!"  
"That won't happen." Enoshima replied.  
"Been forced into it by Monokuma." Naegi said. He had no idea if it was true or not, but it was the only reason he could think why the attacker would attempt a murder right now at this very moment with all of these witnesses.  
"How interesting." Togami pushed his glasses up his face. "I didn't think anybody would be stupid enough to do this at this point in time or in this situation."  
. Maizono decked him. "What the hell was wrong with you? THEY'RE GETTING ATTACKED! AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS 'INTERESTING!' FUCK YOU!" Maizono was deadly close to his face. Togami didn't react as Maizono rushed to the kitchen behind the cafeteria.  
. Next thing Enoshima knew, if it hadn't been for her reflexes Enoshima would have been finished, the With a dozen punches, the attacker was alternating punches at her and Naegi. After a dozen punches, or so, the gate that barred the second floor had been broken down, and Enoshima used the attacker's brief window of lost forward control to roll away.  
. Enoshima had to get to the gymnasium. She knew something that could end it all, a trump card that they could activate. The attacker followed them to the gymnasium.  
. Meanwhile, Monokuma's controller was watching extremely interested.  
"How 'bout that? I didn't expect this. To think that this was matchup would occur. I wonder who wins. How will the rest of them react? This could turn out better than I hope. I needed to get the ball rolling, and what I'm getting is an explosion."  
. The attacker and Enoshima were still playing cat-and-mouse when they got to the gymnasium.  
. Maizono wasted no time grabbing the biggest knife in the kitchen. She knew what she had to do if necessary.  
"Where are they?" She shouted at Kirigiri.  
"They went to the gymnasium." Kirigiri replied. How could someone be attacking in broad 'daylight'? Was what Naegi said about Monokuma putting them up to it true? When did Enoshima show such dexterity?  
Maizono rushed over the gymnasium. She flung open the door.  
"NAEGI!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I do know how this situation is going to resolve itself. Go ahead. Review on who you think it's going to be. (I already know, and it's going to be a whopper.)


	9. Walrus Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An inevitable match-up comes to pass.

Chapter 9:

. Maizono stared at horror at the scene that had played out before her eyes. Naegi was slumped against the bleachers. He appeared passed out, and a little bruised. But for once, Maizono's attention was not on the hooded boy. She couldn't help but stare at what lay in front of her. Suffering from bruises all over, and coughing up blood from the mouth, Enoshima had stabbed Oogami with a giant spear near her appendix. Oogami was also coughing up blood, and other scratches on her shoulders and knees had left blood trailing down her forearms and legs like overflowing rivers throughout her muscles.  
. There was a determined glare in Enoshima's eyes.  
"You fight well." Oogami conceded. "It is not often I find an opponent with such strength of character."  
"Same to you. I guess we'll call this a stalemate." Enoshima said.  
"Impressive. You're only the second person I haven't beaten in combat."  
. Enoshima started coughing up even more blood.  
"Impressive. Who's the first?"  
"My boyfriend."  
"Why am I not surprised?"  
. Maizono still couldn't process what her eyes were seeing.  
"Any minute now. Any minute now. You know, I didn't expect to open this school life of mutual killing with a double knockout." Monokuma had appeared next to her. He appeared impatient. "But you know what, a double knockout is probably the most exciting way to open this up. I mean, it's already exceeded my expectations in every way.  
"What? What?! You are so messed up."  
"You like those spears? The Spears of Gungnir are a little trump card I have for unruly students." Monokuma explained.  
"Nn-o-o way." Maizono stammered. Her eyes were getting wider and wider.  
"Yes, way. I have to some way to maintain order. Did you really think that I wouldn't?"  
"Maizono! Maizono!" The rest of the class had come rushing over. They stared in shock and awe at the scene in front of them.  
"Sakura!" Asahina shouted as the Enoshima and Oogami collapsed away from each other.  
. Kirigiri immediately rushed over to Enoshima who seemed to be gasping for air. After checking that Naegi was still alive, she joined Kirigiri at Enoshima's side. (He had been knocked out as Enoshima threw him off her back to get him out of the way of Oogami's last punch.) Asahina was at Oogami's side.  
"Enoshima. Enoshima." Kirigiri shook her gently.  
"Kirigiri. Enough."  
"Come on, don't die." Maizono pleaded.  
"Judging from my blood loss, I only have a few minutes left. Can you make a promise?"  
"Yes, what is it?"  
"Finish this game. Put an end to this. Get Naegi out."  
"Any last words you want me to take outside?" Kirgiri asked.  
"Yeah, a few."  
"What are they?"  
"I'm sorry for everything. Tell my sister that no matter how much we disagreed in life, no matter how unreasonable she got, I always loved her, and I always will. And I hope she gets her life back together someday." Enoshima conitnued to breathe heavily.  
"Kirigiri?" Enoshima could only whisper at this point.  
"Yes, Enoshima." Kirigiri responded, putting her ear near Enoshima's lips.  
"Mukuro."  
"Mukuro. Mukuro who?"  
"Mukuro Ikusaba."  
"Is she your sister?" Maizono asked.  
. Enoshima closed her eyes for the last time, and muttered... "It was a nice name, wasn't it? It's so nice hearing that name... one last time." Kirigiri felt her pulse fade away from her wrist.  
"Yes, I suppose it is." Kirigiri muttered underneath her breath.  
. To the surprise of most, a cry of "SAKURA!" broke the silence.  
"Seems Oogami's gone too." Kirigiri noted.  
"So, they're both gone?" Leon hesistantly asked as Asahina started tearing up. "That's really it?"  
. And suddenly, a pre-recorded message played on the televisions. "Ding Dang Dong. We got a corpse here. We'll be holding a Class Trial pretty soon, so make good use of the time you've got." And then the message repeated itself.  
"Class trial?" Togami asked. "How interesting."  
"And why did the message repeat twice?" Ishimaru said.  
"Because there are two dead bodies." Monokuma explained. "Now since I don't feel like repeating myself, I'll be back to explain the class trial when he wakes up." He said pointing his paw at the unconscious Naegi.  
"Enoshima's life may have been a joke! But Oogami was certainly the punchline for it!" Monokuma chortled as he walked out. Asahina clamped a hand to her mouth.  
"YOU BASTARD!" Leon shouted. "I'm gonna to tear you apart limb from limb."  
"DON'T!" Maizono counter-shouted. "He'll pull one of his spears of Gungnir out and shisk-ke-bob you!"  
"What?!"  
. Maizono pointed to the spear that lay in between Oogami and Enoshima's corpse. Everybody turned to look at it.  
"So that's the murder weapon." Fujisaki noted.  
"Indeed that looks to be the case." Kirigiri said. "But we're going to need Naegi to wake up soon. He's the one who saw everything that happen first-hand."  
"I hardly think we'll need him. After all, we saw what went down." Oowada said.  
"No, we're going need Naegi. If we want closure, then we're going to have to get what happened from him." Kirigiri replied.  
"Maizono, what are the spears of Gungnir?" Fujisaki asked.  
"I don't know." Maizono replied. "Monokuma mentioned that he could pull them out on command. He said 'The Spears of Gungnir are a little trump card I have for unruly students.'"  
"Seriously?" Leon replied.  
"D-d-do-o-es anybody recognize what 'Gungnir' even is from?" Fukawa stuttered. "I think that's a reference to something."  
"Well, we'll soon figure it out." Togami said. "I'll be back. There's something I need to check out first."  
"Aw hell, like we're letting you leave." Oowada said, cracking his knuckles.  
"Stand aside, we both know I'm not the murderer." Togami replied. "Now, let me leave and go investigate something."  
"What do you need to investigate outside for?" Leon asked. "The whole scene is right in front of us."  
"No, it's not."  
"What do you mean?" Leon said.  
"This whole school is the crime scene. Don't you understand that?" Togami replied. "Murders can take place anywhere and everywhere within these walls. You really don't think the scope is just limited to see what's in front of you?"  
"Togami is right." Kirigiri said. "But I'll accompany you to make sure you're not doing something that would endanger the rest of us."  
"Wwwhhhatttt?" Fukawa shrieked. "How dare you, you slinking whore!"  
. Everybody's mouths opened in shock. Even Togami's. Kirigiri, however, remained unfazed and as cool as a cucumber.  
"You're more than welcome to come along, Fukawa. An extra pair of eyes can't hurt." Kirigiri smiled softly.  
Fukawa's shrieking stopped dead in its track. "Seriously? You promise me you won't make a move on my White Knight?"  
"Why would I? He's an asshole. Seriously, the rest of us are trying to figure out what you see in him." Kirigiri snarked.  
"How dare you say such things about my White Knight?" Fukawa replied indignantly, and instantly the mood was lightened a little bit by laughter.  
. Togami sweatdropped.  
"Yeah, I'll come along. I don't do so well with blood." Fukawa said. "I've been averting my eyes the whole time."  
"Alright, shall we go then?"  
"Where do you think you're going?" Monokuma reappeared. "You're supposed to wait here."  
"You said you would only explain once Naegi wakes up, but we don't know when he's going to wake up." Kirigiri replied. "We're being productive in the meantime. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out that we're supposed to figure out what happened."  
"So what are the rest of us supposed to do?" Leon asked.  
"I suppose the first thing to do is the guard the crime scene." Yamada suggested.  
"Yeah, that's probably a good thing." Ishimaru said.  
"So... who should guard the scene?" Fujisaki questioned.  
"How 'bout Oowada and Ishimaru?" Leon suggested. "They're clearly the two with the most strength still alive."  
"But are you sure that's a good idea?" Fujisaki said. "I mean, the two were just arguing not too long ago."  
"Will you two not please promise not to argue about Naegi's hoodie?" Celeste snarked.  
"Fine, 'princess'." Oowada growled.  
"Yes ma'am." Ishimaru saluted.  
Celeste smirked. "Alright, Yamada. You follow me."  
"Why me?" Yamada asked.  
"It's best in this situation for nobody to be solo."  
"I see. What you're saying is that you are evaluating that I'm the least likely to attack you." Yamada responded.  
"Yes. But not in so many words."  
Leon suddenly had a bright idea.  
"Wait a minute, why don't Fujisaki and I investigate Enoshima's room while you and Yamada search Oogami's room?"  
Celeste stopped. "Wouldn't that be an invasion of privacy?"  
"They've been killed. At the very least, I want to know why Oogami suddenly snapped. She didn't seem like to the type who was just out and out suddenly attack Naegi. Especially out in the open like this. And Enoshima doesn't seem to be the type that would put her life at risk for Naegi. I mean, especially considering Maizono is right there, and more than happy to go do that instead." Leon said, gestering to the blue-haired girl who was holding Naegi's head in her lap.  
"I get your point." Celeste pondered. "Kirigiri did say we would need closure for this."  
"Alright. That's all well and good." Fujisaki said. "But how are we going to get in? Do you think we could ask Monokuma to let us in?"  
"Nah." Leon said. "There's another reason I made that suggestion. Look at this." Leon had picked up Enoshima's room key.  
"And Oogami is likely to have hers as well. I see where you're going with this." Celeste said.  
"Wait, what are you guys doing! You can't just go riling through Sakura's stuff!" Asahina objected.  
"Asahina, we need closure on this." Celeste said.  
"You can't. I won't let you." Asahina said, clutching the key and backing away from everybody. There were tears streaming down her face.  
"But there might be a clue, Asahina." Fujisaki said, pleading with her.  
. Asahina shook her head. "If any of you were dead, would you want them to go through your stuff?"  
"I can't speak for anybody else here, but yes." Leon said. "Absolutely. I would want them to go through my stuff. I'm dead, it's not like I can use it. I only ask that they treat it with respect and take care of it."  
"What about you guys? Oowada? Ishimaru?" Asahina asked.  
"Hey, if it were to help the rest of ya to figure out who killed me off. Sure. You guys have the green light to do so." Oowada said.  
"It would be prudent to allow my classmates access to any resources they need to solve my death." Ishimaru said.  
"Aoi, please." Leon said, holding out his hand."The key. We need it. Please."  
Asahina reluctantly handed over the key.  
"Come on, Fujisaki, let's check out Enoshima's room first." Leon said to the timid teenager.  
"Leon, are we sticking to the original plan where Yamada and I check Oogami's room, and you and Fujisaki check Enoshima's room? " Celeste asked Leon.  
"Looks like it." Leon replied.  
"No. If anybody is going to Sakura's room to investigate, it's going to be Leon." Asahina objected. "I gave him the key and him only."  
"Alright, then how about Celeste and I go through Oogami's room, and Yamada and Fujisaki check out Enoshima's room?" Leon suggested.  
"You really want Yamada, of all people, in the model's room?" Celeste pointed out.  
"Right. I see the flaws there." Leon agreed. "How about this then? Yamada stays here as a rotation guard for Ishimaru and Oowada. You and Fujisaki check out Enoshima's room, and Aoi and I will take Sakura's room?" Leon came up with that solution.  
"Fair enough." Celeste said. "Asahina?"  
"Yeah, that works." Asahina said, somewhat dejectedly.  
"Alright, Fujisaki, are you ready to go?" Celeste asked the programmer whom was now twiddling thumbs.  
"Sure."  
. A little while later, both of the girls' rooms had been thoroughly searched. Celeste and Fujisaki rejoined Leon and Asahina in the gymansium, the door flew open.  
"Holy shit, dude! Monokuma was right! Ogre and Enoshima really are dead."  
"Hagakure!" Maizono was shocked and rightfully so. Where in the world had this guy been?  
"How dare you call Sakura 'Ogre'?" Asahina was pissed off.  
"Hey, that was Monokuma's nickname! Not mine!" Hagakure pleaded.  
"Never mind that. What the hell were you doing?" Leon asked, with his arms folded. "Two of our classmates are dead. So what are you going to do about it?"  
"I know what I'm going to do! I'm gonna to use my crystal ball to tell ya how they died!" Hagakure said, making grand sweeping gestures while palming his sphere.  
"Yeah, well, too bad for you-"Celeste started, before Leon cut her off.  
"No. No. I'm curious to see where this goes." Leon said, waving her off like he often used to do with his catcher. "Let's see how accurate the Shaman is."  
"Alright. My crystal ball is telling me that Enoshima and Ogre were actually lovers and this was a lovers quarrel to the death!"  
. Asahina's eye twitched.  
" Oh, wow. Is he serious?" Ishimaru asked.  
"For once, we're in agreement." Oowada agreed.  
"Try again, you dumbass, Sakura had a boyfriend." Asahina seethingly replied.  
"I once watched this movie called 'Billy Madison'." Leon said. "I'm going to quote it for you. 'What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard... Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.'  
Hagakure missed the hint and tried again.  
"They were both part of the conspiracy of this place, and they killed each other because otherwise we would have found out about them!"  
"I highly doubt that." Leon deadpanned.  
"Well, then, they were rival members of the Walrus Faction and they were attempt to curry favor with the leader by finishing each other off!"  
"Somehow I don't think that's right." Fujisaki suggested.  
"Tell me, Hagakure. Is this 'Walrus Faction' competing with the 'Carpenter Faction'?" Celeste joked.  
"I don't get it."  
"Ugh. Never mind."  
" Was Oogami attempting to prevent Enoshima from joining up as Monokuma's mole?"  
"If that's the case, then why did Oogami start attacking Naegi?" Leon continued.  
"Ah. Fair enough. But what if Enoshima was preventing Oogami from attacking Monokuma?"  
"As far we know, Monokuma had nothing to do with this incident until he announced the students' deaths." Asahina said.  
"Oh, well, then were they competing for the affections of Naegi?"  
"Like hell they were!" Maizono screamed.  
"Ow, Maizono. My ears. Please." Naegi said, clutching the sides of his head.  
"Oh, wow, the dumbass actually furthered our plot advancement." Yamada said.  
"Well, how 'bout -?" Hagakure tried another suggestion.  
"No. NO MORE." Celeste said. "You have fired six stupid suggestions. You have used up your revolver of ammo. You're not allowed to 'reload' for the seventh crack at it! I didn't think it was possible, but you're even more of a dumbass than Yamada!" Celeste said, breathing slightly heavier than normal.  
"Celeste, that was mean." Asahina said.  
"It's okay. I finds myself often-insulting." Yamada said.  
"I meant about Hagakure, not you."  
"Oh, wow."  
"Anyway - the suggestion that Naegi gets a harem furthers the plot?" Monokuma said, popping up out of nowhere. "Naegi, do you know what you have to do now? You must hook up with everyone, and I mean everyone."  
"Even Fujisaki and Yamada?" Naegi joked, lifting his head off of Maizono's lap for a moment.  
"Especially Yamada and Fujisaki."  
"Hahahaha. No."  
"While I can see that nobody would ever want to hook up with Yamada, what's wrong with Fujisaki, other than the fact that Maizono will be the end of you if  
you do." Celeste asked.  
"I do not care if Naegi doesn't hook up with me. I specialize in only girls of the 2-D variety!" Yamada stated.  
"And that statement is all anybody needs." Celeste snarked.  
"Fujisaki is just ... too adorable. I couldn't." Naegi admitted.  
"Uh-Naegi. Seriously?" The programmer sweat-dropped  
"Yes, you are. It's insane."  
"As the personal pinnacle of adorableness, I can second that." Monokuma raised his paw.  
. Meanwhile, away from Fujisaki's adorableness, Kirigiri and Togami were looking around on the newly-opened second floor. They were in the library.  
"Ordinarily, I would be investigating the deaths of Oogami and Enoshima. But I think it's pretty obvious that they finished each other off. That being said, we'll still need Naegi to tell everybody what happened when he wakes up." Kirigiri explained.  
"You seemed oddly logical for a high-school girl." Togami commented. "What's your talent anyway?"  
"If I haven't told anybody else, even Naegi, why would I tell you?"  
"Ah, I see. Your talent is still a card you want to hold, is that it?"  
"If that's what you want to believe, go ahead. I won't stop you."  
. Kirigiri stopped when she saw a piece of paper and a Manila envelope.  
"Hey, Togami, remember that piece of paper you saw me find?"  
"Yeah."  
"Take a look of this."  
. While Togami and Kirigiri stared at the various pieces of paper laid out in front of them, Fukawa was browsing the fictional section and she was liking what she was seeing.  
"Ah. Books, the only thing always guaranteed to relieve some of my anxiety. This library seems to be very good. Even in just the fictional sections, it certainly has a lot of variety. I've already seen Carroll, Doyle, and Joyce." Fukawa muttered in thought. She hoped that she would get a chance to maintain access to the library. There seemed to be something for everybody here if she looked hard enough.  
. The three continued their exploration of the library when Naegi came up to the second floor.  
"Ah, I should have known. I figured you three would be on the library. Monokuma said he's going to explain part 2 now. All three of you will have to come back now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR NOTE: Please go ahead and leave a review or recommend this to fellow fans. I want to hear the reactions from readers. This is my longest Chapter of the story so far. The 1st trial will start in Chapter 10.


	10. Pieces And Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To the survivors, what happened may have been obvious, but the fall-out won't be. For in any Killing Game, it is always the first trial that sets the tone. And the development.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR NOTE (Originally Written in 2015): My personal life has been extremely rocky, and striving to be my particular major is no easy task. Also, I realize that this is the make or break moment of my story. It's the chapter covering the first trial in-story. While the part leading up to the actual trial went smoothly, the actual trial required several rewrites in order to get the feel just 'right' for my taste. So as always, reviews are heavily appreciated.

Chapter 10:

Monokuma's explanation was extremely short and to the point.  
"Now that everybody who is still alive is awake and present. - Naegi."  
"Hey!"  
"You guys have to figure out the death and who caused it. Since you lot already displayed some common sense and empathy by going ahead and investigating the double KO, we're going to cut straight to the trial. Oh, and if you guys don't figure out who was behind the whole ordeal, the rest of you die, and the real purp goes free."  
. The students' reactions were all cut from the same cloth.  
"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?  
"What the hell, man?"  
"We would have done it better if we had known."  
Only Togami remained perfectly unperturbed.  
"We saw exactly what happened. We know exactly who caused the pair of deaths. If we screw this up, we're a bunch of retards."  
"Yes, but we still should know what happened." Kirigiri responded.  
Only Hagakure had a question.  
"Monokuma, you say that if we get this wrong, the killer goes free and the rest of us get executed."  
"Yeah. Where are you going with this?"  
"Why?  
"Why? It seems we've finally reached my motivations! Finally. I want you to experience DESPAIR!"  
"That's it. That's all?" Naegi deadpanned. " Are you serious? You want us to experience a single emotion? Did we all agree to follow Togami's example and go cold turkey from emotions during the time we were knocked out?"  
"Makoto Naegi, so help me, I will..." Togami interjected before being cut off by Maizono.  
"You'll do what?" Maizono said. "Think carefully."  
"Uhhhhh..." Monokuma continued. And then, amazingly, Hagakure brought up a good point.  
"I mean, what benefit does it have for you? If someone successfully commits a murder, that means your little game is over." Hagakure pointed out. "Is there some great philosophical meaning behind it? Are you like, broadcasting this all over the world with the intent to display the fault of humanity? Because you've chosen the worst possible candidates for it, a bunch of teenagers."  
"For an idiot, that's surprisingly deep." Fukawa twiddled her thumbs.  
"Holy crap. The shaman is actually making sense!" Leon said.  
"Character depth from the shaman." Yamada commented. "My eyes do decieve me."  
"Oh, you're one to talk." Hagakure muttered.  
"ENOUGH!" Monokuma shouted. "Go to the pair of red doors on the first floor. I have to get the trial room ready. Oh yeah, if any of you want to check your Student ID-s, you find something for all of you. The Monokuma File! This gets handed out everytime there's a murder."Monokuma continued before hastily disappearing.  
. And on that odd note, ten of the students walked out of the gymnasium.  
"Naegi, come on." Maizono coaxed.  
"Do you think you could help me? I'm still a bit weak in the knees from all this." Naegi admitted.  
"Of course. You didn't even need to ask." Maizono said, slinging Naegi's arm around her.  
"Are you going to be able to stand, Naegi?" Kirigiri asked. "Should I ask Monokuma if we can bring a chair to whereever we're headed?"  
"Nah. I think I should be able to stand witness to this." Naegi said.  
Maizono shot Kirigiri a glare. Kirigiri responded in kind.  
"Come now, Maizono. We need Naegi for this. He's the lynchpin. After all, he saw the whole thing play out in real time."  
"It was more like quick-time." Naegi responded.  
"Quick-time?" Kirigiri asked.  
"I'll explain later." Naegi hastily replied.  
. The three of them walked out of the gymansium past the foyer where Peko Pekoyama's award of a golden sword still remained. They passed the crushed gates that had previously cut off the second floor which had been damaged by several swift punches from Oogami. All of three turned left and passed the set of bathrooms and the locked-up infirmary. And as he stared at the sealed windows, Naegi couldn't help but ponder his situation in his head.  
"Ten Centimeters. That's all we are away from freedom. Just ten centimeters. Just the width of a perimeter wall from getting out of here. Ten centimeters. Such a short distance, and long trek to get there. And now, two of our number are dead. And I was there. I witnessed it happen right in front of me, and yet ... when it's all said and done... could I have done more?"  
. Naegi shut his eyes and kept moving forward, a detail that neither Kirigiri nor Maizono could fail to notice.  
"Naegi, we're here." Maizono whispered to him.  
. Naegi opened his eyes. In front of him stood a pair of blood-red double doors. Kirigiri opened the doors to let Naegi and Maizono through. The other ten students were there. Some like Leon and Oowada were fidgeting with anxiety. Celeste remained as cool as a cucumber while Yamada gripped his backpack. Togami kept pushing up his glasses and tapping his foot, ready to go. Ishimaru was stretching his legs. Asahina was leaned against the wall. Her eyes still appeared dead. Naegi briefly wondered if the brightness would ever come back.  
"DING"  
. The elevator had arrived. Naegi braced himself.  
. The trial room perfectly reflected Monokuma. The floor was white and black checkerboard like a chessboard. There were upholstered curtains an equal shade of red to the original doors. There were cinematic red carpets leading to some of the students. There were already two signs up, one with Enoshima's face and another with Oogami's face.  
"Question: If there are fifteen of us, why are there sixteen slots?" Kirigiri asked.  
"The courtroom just happens to sit sixteen people, that's all." Monokuma replied.  
"You're not going to spring some hidden sixteenth student on us, are ya?" Leon commented.  
"Well, including Monokuma, there are sixteenth people here." Yamada pointed out.  
"I think it's safe to say that Monokuma's operator is not one of the fifteen original participants.  
. Togami said. "Which would make sixteen people accounted for so far."  
"Alright, Alright." Monokuma said. "Let's get to the assigned places. And just so we're clear, the trial is going to be one hundred percent fair. You get it right, you live. Simple as that.".  
. With the sixteenth space between Asahina and Hagakure, the lineup clockwise went as follows: Hagakure, Fujisaki, Togami, Celeste, Leon, Fukawa,Yamada, Naegi, Maizono, Ishimaru, consecutive markers for Enoshima and Oogami, Kirigiri, Oowada and Asahina.  
"Oh, wow. When I said I would be able to stand witness for this, Maizono. I didn't think it would be at an actual witness stand." Naegi commented.  
"Snarky as ever, Naegi." Togami said. "Why don't we cut straight to the point? What did you see, Naegi?"  
"First, what are those two markers for, Monokuma?" Kirigiri said, cutting across Togami.  
"Oh, I think it was just be horrible if they were left out just because they were dead. Friendship lasts in death too, don't ya know?"  
"Hey, guys, can we all agree that the Spears of Gungir are the murder weapons Enoshima and Oogami used to finish each other off." Leon postulated.  
"Yeah/Of Course/Duh."  
"Spears of Gugnir?" Hagakure asked. "I must missed that."  
"How the hell could you have missed the giant spears?"  
"Oh, those spears!?"  
"Yeah, dumbass."  
"Leon?"  
"Yes?"  
"Are you done pointing out the quantity of Hagakure's intelligence?"  
"Yeah."  
"Anyway... I was sitting in the cafeteria, eating a sandwich when suddenly Oogami attacked me. She destroyed a couple of tables, and I just kept trying to roll away and not get hit." Naegi began.  
"Why were you rolling away?" Celeste asked.  
"I can't get hurt if I can't get hit." Naegi replied.  
"So why are we able to dodge Oogami's attacks but not Oowada's punch?" Ishimaru asked.  
"Simple. Oowada is faster than Oogami. Oogami is stronger, but she was built for power, not speed." Naegi explained.  
"That makes sense." Ishimaru replied.  
"And then what happened?" Leon asked.  
"Well, as soon as I got out of the cafeteria, Enoshima swooped in and literally carried me on her back." Naegi said.  
"Seriously?" Fukawa said. "Why would the model put herself in danger like that?"  
"Perhaps it was that she felt she could do something about it." Celeste explained.  
"What do you mean?" Asahina said.  
"I mean, when Fujisaki and I checked out Enoshima's room, we found some self-defense and some military magazines." Celeste said.  
"You and Fujisaki checked out Enoshima's room?" Kirigiri asked. "What did you find?"  
"Not only did we find self-defense magazines, we found that they had been marked up in pen. Apparently she was making corrections to them." Fujisaki said. "It was really strange. I mean, why would a model not only have self-defense magazines but know enough about self-defense to correct experts?"  
"Well, I mean she is a model. There must be sleazy guys coming up to her all the time." Yamada said. " And perhaps a few had hostile intentions."  
"Wait, if she was that much of a target, why didn't she have a bodyguard?"Sayaka said. "I mean, my manager was floating the idea around to our idol group right before I arrived at Hope's Peak Academy."  
"Is that so?" Celeste said.  
"Yeah."  
"Anyway, let's get back on topic. Enoshima and the self-defense magazines. Why?" Togami said, attempting to steer the conversation back on track.  
"I think the more potent question is: how did she get them?" Kirigiri said. "I mean, we all brought our stuff in several weeks before the first day."  
"You guys did?" Naegi asked. "Seriously?"  
"Yeah, Naegi. Did you not bring... anything?" Maizono said.  
"No. I didn't. I mean, I live somewhat close to Hope's Peak. And I'm just an ordinary guy, I don't have a fandom that risks bothering me wherever I go. So I was going to live at home most of the time, and only stay at Hope's Peak if I needed to." Naegi replied.  
"Ah. I see." Leon said. "Wait, you live this close?"  
"Yeah, I walked over here on my first day." Naegi replied.  
"How pedestrian." Togami said.  
"Only when I'm not biking here." Naegi replied.  
"Anyway. We're drifting off topic." Celeste said. "We've figured out how Enoshima could have gotten the self-defense magazines. Asahina, and Leon, what did you find in Oogami's room?"  
"Go on, Asahina, tell them. Tell them the note you found hidden under Oogami's pillow." Leon said.  
"I found a motive for Sakura's attack." Asahina said.  
Everybody gasped collectively.  
"It's here." Asahina said. "I'll read it aloud for everybody."

"Dear Asahina, I hope you will find this. So I'll address it this to you. I'm sorry. But Monokuma has forced me to be his spy. My entire dojo is at stake. The dojo is my family's legacy. I could not let myself be the one to lose it. In particular, the mastermind keeps suggesting the same person over and over for me to kill. I trust that you would be able to figure it out."

I apologize, for the moment I knew Monokuma had gained leverage against me, there was no outcome other than my death.

Sakura Oogami."

"So there you go. That was Sakura's motivation for attacking someone."Asahina explained.  
"Are you serious?" Togami said. "I don't believe it. Is there any proof at all that this letter wasn't made up to save your friend's reputation?"  
"Dude. I saw Asahina pull out from under Oogami's pillow." Leon said.  
"And how long were the two of you in Oogami's room?" Togami asked, smirking.  
"About twenty minutes." Leon replied, coolly.  
"And what point in your searching did you find it? Because if you found it immediately, then that has suspicion right all over it." Togami repiled. "Who finds something so convenient like that?"  
"Forget it, Togami." Naegi said. "You're wrong. Oogami expressed the same modi operandi when she was attacking."  
"Oh, don't tell me you're just trying to make Asahina feel better?" Togami said.  
"Naegi." Asahina said.  
"No. Listen. In the cafeteria, Oogami said to me '  
"Why are you attacking me?"  
"I am truly sorry, but I have no choice."  
"You do realize what will happen if you kill me."  
"You do realize what will happen if I don't kill you."  
"Fair enough. You don't need to say anymore, but you do expect I am going to fight for my life."  
"Yes. But you will not survive."  
"When this is all over, neither will you."'  
"So that settles it." Celeste said. "Oogami chose Naegi at the mastermind's suggestion, attacked Naegi with the express intent of saving her dojo, but when Enoshima stepped in, she changed her target to Enoshima instead. We saw what happened with the fight."  
"Naegi was the mastermind's suggestion to be killed." Maizono said. "Why Naegi? No, seriously, why?"  
"Yes, that is most certainly curious." Togami said.  
"I think this is worth exploring." Kirigiri said. "After all, from here on out, it's not going to be often that we're all together. We should lay all out where the chance for miscommunication is slim."  
"Says the girl who rarely talks." Yamada said. "If you ask me, Anya Alstreim shows more emotion than her."  
"Who's Anya Alstreim?" Kirigiri asked. "I don't believe I've ever heard of her."  
"Anya Alstreim is from Code Geass. She was introduced in R2 as the Knight of Six, and, if you ask me, probably would have been Lelouch's own Knight of Honor if he and Nunnally hadn't been sent into Japan." Naegi explained.  
"Do you know of Code Geass, Master Makoto Naegi?"  
"Of course, I do. I have internet access. As a matter of fact, just chalk it up to the fact that because of the nature of my talent, I didn't spent countless hours honing my skill or hobby, but just exploring around the facets of life."  
"Are you so sure?" Yamada asked.  
"I'm dead sure."  
"I meant about Anya being Lelouch's Knight of Honor."  
"Well, yeah. Who else would it have been? Gino? It wouldn't have been Suzaku."  
"I concede the point, though the fangirls probably wouldn't ever."  
"Hold on, I thought we were discussing why Naegi was the target." Kirigiri said. "First, a comparison between myself and a Blaze the cat, and now another one to this Anya Alstreim. How is this about me now?"  
"Isn't everything? Isn't everything about you? Ms. I-Don't-Want-To-Reveal-My-Talent. If you ask me, you're clearly hiding something!" Fukawa said, waving an accusatory finger at Kirigiri.  
"What are you implying?" Kirigiri said.  
"What I'm implying is that this whole game is your idea." Fukawa said.  
"If this whole game is my idea, why am I a part of it?" Kirigiri replied.  
"Maybe you suggested the idea to Monokuma's operator, and then as a sick, twisted idea agreed to let the operator wipe your memory and put you in this game."  
"Fukawa, you can't go making wild accusations about who the mastermind is this early in the game." Togami said. "It's not very sporting."  
"So we should wait for several more murders to occur." Celeste said. "From a gameplay standpoint, that might be a legitimate strategy. But from a practical standpoint, that's not really an option."  
"I would have thought you of all people, Celeste, would understand, that no matter how high stakes are, this is still a game." Togami said.  
"Oh, I intend to still treat this like a game." Celeste said, smiling. "But here's where our playing styles differ. You like to simplify everything because you believe you have a natural advantage. I prefer keep things to complex. I find it easier that way."  
"You mean you find it easier to create solutions to in-game problems." Togami said.  
"Yes, it's not just winning a game, but there is as much value in how you win as there. Always having to winning in the same way is quite boring. The more tools and assets you have the more creative you can get in terms of winning. And as far as I'm concerned, we've lost two our of assets from this whole thing."  
"Is that all Oogami and Enoshima are to you?" Asahina said. "Assets?"  
"Coming from a chick, that's messed up." Oowada said of Celeste.  
"What does that even mean?" Leon asked, with his arms folded.  
"That means he can't tell that the girl who dresses in all-black and who sports a fake European accent has a dark morality." Fukawa said. "What a poor judge of character."  
"This is how I normally speak!" Celeste said, briefing losing composure, before Ishimaru spoke up.  
"That is an unacceptable opinion, Celeste. Enoshima and Oogami are not assets. They are our comrades and friends." Ishimaru interjected. "Or at least, they were."  
"They still are." Asahina said. "Now, I can't speak for anyone else, but they are to me."  
"I was wondering when Ishimaru and Oowada would speak up." Togami smirked. "Have you two settled your petulant little issue of whether Naegi should wear his hood indoors yet?"  
"Uh... is that really relevant, right now, dude?" Hagakure said. "I mean, Naegi's not wearing his hood rig...ht... now." He trailed off as he noticed Naegi had, indeed put up his hood yet.  
"ENOUGH."  
"Naegi?" Maizono said, hesitantly.  
"We're drifting off-topic. I'll tell you why I think Monokuma chose me as the target for Oogami to go after."  
"Why?" Fujisaki said.  
"Because I'm the easiest. Because I'm always going to be the easiest. Because compared to the rest of you guys, my personality is almost nothing. It should be swallowed up by everybody else here."  
"No, Naegi." Kirigiri responded quietly.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean, it's because you're the only one who isn't a known quantity. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What's your breaking point? Everybody else here is a known quantity."  
"You say that, Kirigiri." Togami cut over her. "But we're right back where we were a little while go. We still don't know your talent. Come on, reveal it. Reveal it now." Togami said, with an outstretched arm.  
"What are you doing, summoning a trap card?" Yamada said.  
"What?" Oowada said.  
"Did anybody else here watch Yu-gi-oh when they were younger?"  
Everybody else shook their head.  
"Okay, then. Never mind."  
"I can't reveal my talent, Togami." Kirigiri said.  
"You say, 'I can't.'" Fukawa said. "Then why do I hear 'You won't.'?"  
Kirigiri sighed.  
"I'm not the mastermind."  
"No, of course, you're not." Togami said. "I've been thinking. You're really just a bait student, aren't you? Monokuma's operator and you both answer to the true mastermind!"  
"Byakuya. What good does this endless postulating do us at this point?" Celeste said. "As far as I'm concerned, we know what happened, which was the whole point of this 'trial'. Oogami and Enoshima fought hand-to-hand until they reached the gymnasium. There Monokuma gave them the Spears of Gugnir and they finished each other off. I hate to quote Monokuma here, but it was a double knockout. Why don't we finish this trial off?"  
"But I'm not done yet." Togami said.  
"No, you are not." Celeste said, twirling her hair. "But we're going to be here forever at this rate. At this point, this is just padding and filler. Save it for the next trial."  
"That assumes that's there going to be next trial." Ishimaru said. "Which I doubt very much."  
"You have too much faith in everybody." Oowada said.  
"Ishimaru, I think you're wrong." Naegi said, quietly. "I'm willing to bet there will be more murders."  
"Naegi, don't say that." Maizono said.  
"No, there will be. Leon, Kirigiri, back me up here. That box."  
"Yeah." Leon said.  
"Of course." Kirigiri said.  
"I don't trust anything you say!" Fukawa interrupted.  
"We-"  
"Hmmm"  
"Well"  
"Hmmmm!"  
"Well, you see."  
"HMMMM!"  
"FINE!" Kirigiri said, losing her composure slightly. "Leon, you explain it."  
"Alright. You see, Naegi found this box in the entrance hall."  
"So?" Maizono asked.  
"The box had a piece of scotch tape with the words 'Dead Students' ID-s' scribbled on it."  
"That could have been meant for the ID-s of only the first victim and murderer."  
"No." Fukawa said.  
"Are you actually contributing to this trial?" Yamada asked incredulously.  
"Yes, fatty. You see, Oogami actually broke down the gate leading to the second floor during the whole incident, and Kirigiri, my white Knight, and I actually got quick preview of the second floor prior to this trial."  
"So?" Ishimaru said. "I don't see how that leads to the idea that there will be more murders."  
"Because there was a staircase to the third floor, and there's nobody else here who could possibly punch the gate down." Fukawa said.  
"Oh no." Maizono said.  
"Scared, Maizono? Scared that the guys here will take advantage of the pop idol and get one on ya?"  
"What are you saying, Fukawa?"  
"I'm saying if that happens, you totally deserve it." Fukawa smirked.  
"Fukawa. I'm only going to say this once. But shut the hell up." Naegi said, with deadly stoicism. "In here, nobody deserves anything that happens to them."  
"Naegi?" Maizono said.  
"We know how exactly how everything went down. Let's end this trial." Naegi said.  
"Wait, something doesn't make sense." Fujisaki muttered. "But I can't place my finger on it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S END NOTE: I wrote the Kirigiri-to-Anya comparision several chapters back, (a little bit after I finished the Kirigiri-to-Blaze comparision) but was never able to find a proper place to put it in. Coincidentally, that's where the chapter's length really took off. (And by took off, I mean, there was enough and the creation of ideas to almost double the chapter's length.)


	11. NaeZoning To A T

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second floor opens up and with it, possibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on out the chapters should get longer. That being said, I have to write further and further into the story before releasing, and reviews are heavily appreciated.

Chapter 11

"I really hope we don't lose people at this rate. I mean, we've only been here for what? Three days?" someone said.  
"Crap." Oowada said. "I think you're right."  
"Oh boy." Naegi commented.  
"What do you mean, Naegi?" Maizono asked.  
"I mean, guys. Stop and think about this. Would every trial we have be this obvious or this easy?"  
"Naegi..."  
"No, listen. What happens if there's a murder and the culprit actually makes it to here?"  
"We'll just figure it all out then." Maizono replied.  
"Yes, but what's our learning curve?" Celeste asked. "The questions that need to be asked are 'how fast can we adapt?' and 'how complex could a potential culprit adapt to murdering'?"  
Silence ricocheted throughout the group.  
"So what do we do now?" Togami asked. "Should we stay and continue to discuss matters or should we adjourn?"  
"How about we take a break?" Leon suggested. "I get the feeling that the second floor has been 'officially' opened. What if we explore that now?"  
"Alright. Is that agreed upon by everybody?" Celeste said.  
Everybody who spoke agreed, and headed towards the elevator. Only Kirigiri remained.  
"Kirigiri, come on!" Naegi asked.  
"You guys, go ahead." Kirigiri said. "I'm sticking around here for a little bit."  
"Don't you want to explore the second floor, chick?" Oowada asked.  
"Not yet."  
"Well, we can't leave you behind." Fujisaki said.  
"If I'm by myself, then there's really nothing that can go wrong." Kirigiri pointed out. "No seriously, what could possibly happen?"  
"You say that, bbbuuttt seriously, you're still so mysterious. Why should we trust you?" Fukawa pointed out.  
"Then I'll shall stay behind." Ishimaru offered. "Does everybody trust me?"  
"You're a little weird. But yeah, I trust you." Oowada said.  
"Alright, Kirigiri." Ishimaru said, as he stepped out of the elevator.  
"Fair enough." The doors of the elevator snapped shut.  
"Think it will be locked behind them?" Ishimaru asked of the red doors.  
"Probably."  
"Kirigiri, what's your aim for all of this?"  
"My aim is to understand Monokuma a bit better."  
"You know, you may not find anything."  
"I know that. But I have to try."  
"Yes. We know that."  
. Ishimaru folded his arms somewhat expectantly. Kirigiri began by checking all of the doors that lead away from the trial room. She pressed her ear against one of them. She could almost hear the whizzing of ... a pitching machine.  
"Ishimaru, press your ear against this door. What do you hear?"  
"Some sort of machine. My guess is, it has a wheel."  
"It's a pitching machine."  
"A pitching machine? Why would Monokuma have a pitching machine?"  
"I don't know."  
. Kirigiri tried the handle again.  
"It's locked."  
"Kirigiri, perhaps we ought to not to look around. I mean, what if something happens?"  
"If something happens, it will be the fault of Monokuma. Not one of us."  
"Hey, Kirigiri. I just thought of something."  
"What is it?"  
"Will the elevator come back for us?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean, we might be trapped."  
"What?"  
"I mean, we might be trapped!"  
"I doubt it."  
"How can you be calm about that?"  
"I don't know."  
"Some girl you are."  
"Hey. It's just who I am. I've never been one to express my emotions so easily."  
"Indeed."  
"And neither have you."  
"What?"  
"I can tell. You've spent your entire life studying. You follow the rules to the letter. You're the type to have normally said 'A student is a professional learner.'"  
Ishimaru nodded. "And what's wrong with that?"  
"But all that's changed now. Between Naegi nearly getting knocked out and the deaths of two of our classmates, even you've had to change your approach to life some what."  
"That's not true."  
"But it is true. My guess is you've spent most of your free time wondering how you can interact with your classmates better, practicing the ability to have normal conversations and trying to make friends. It would explain the debate with Oowada about Naegi's hoodie. You were attempt to 'joke' around with Oowada. In truth, if someone else had wanted to explore the trial room, you wouldn't have volunteered to stay behind."  
"Why?" Ishimaru queued.  
"Because I'm a person of a few words, and not much ever needs to be said when interacting with me."  
"Kirigiri?"  
"Yes, Ishimaru?"  
"How can you read people so well?"  
. Kirigiri blinked. "I'm not sure. I just can."  
"Sounds like something is missing."  
"A lot of things are missing."  
. While the two spent the next hour and a half searching the trial room for any hidden mechanisms and rooms, most of the students with the exception of Naegi and Maizono were in the cafeteria.  
"I don't understand this." Celeste said. "Why must we wait for Ishimaru and Kirgiri to come back before exploring the second floor?"  
"It's too be sporting." Togami said, pushing up his glasses. "After all, it's hardly fair if everybody doesn't get a chance to look at it the same time."  
"Well, that's rich. Considering you're one of the people who got a look at the 2nd floor before the 1st trial." Oowada pointed out.  
"W-we-e only got a look at the library though." Fukawa pointed out.  
"Still more the rest of us got." Asahina said.  
"So, there's a library. Hopefully, there's a book I can use to brush up on my C-ing." Fujisaki said.  
"Seeing?" Yamada commented. "Fujisaki, do you need some reading glasses?"  
"No. C. As in the C-programming language."  
"Hey, guys, do you think there's still any chance we can get help from the outside?" Hagakure said.  
"I doubt it." Celeste said. "It is most unfortunate though. I do not wish to live in this place any more than the rest of you. But I'm willing to adapt."  
"With two of our number dead, it's not really feasible to clean to the idea that outside help will come. It think it's safe to say we've reached the point of no return. We'll have to do our best to see the end of this." Togami said.  
"Said by both of the people who only see the rest of us as assets." Asahina seethed.  
"Clearly, you don't understand anything, Asahina. People are their own greatest assets. That's always been the case. If it weren't, we as a species would not have survived."  
"So the question becomes 'Why is the mastermind trying to turn the assets of people into liabilities'?" Celeste said.  
"You catch on fast. Your brain is surprisingly adept." Togami smirked.  
"I try." Celeste said. "But we all know that your brain is the most adept out of anybody here." Her voice hinted at sarcasm for the second sentence.  
"Where are Kirigiri and Ishimaru?" Fukawa said, cutting off Celeste.  
"Wait a moment, so are Naegi and Maizono enjoying the some 'time' together?" Leon said, chuckling.  
. Fukawa bit her thumb. "Only you would come to that conclusion."  
"What?"  
"What are you implying?"  
"What are YOU implying?"  
. Hagakure put his hand to his forehead.  
"So... where are Naegs and 'Zono anyway?"  
"Naegs and 'Zono?" Asahina said.  
"Oh, why don't we just ahead and combine it to Naezono?" Togami snarked. "It's not like the two will ever do anything important in this game independently each other."  
Oowada opened his left eye. "Lucky bastard."  
"Yeah... wait, No, No." Fukawa twiddled her thumbs.  
"Hey, I thought you made your name with your romance novels." Leon said.  
"Yeah. What's your point?" Fukawa responded.  
"So why are you opposed this?"  
"Because I always made sure to make my characters as well-rounded and three-dimensional as possible. Often times I gave them enough personality for two or more people! What personality do either Naegi or Maizono have?" Fukawa said.  
"Have you even been paying attention to EITHER of them?" Leon asked.  
"She's just upset because it's happening to Naegi and Maizono, not her and Togami." Asahina said, her smile was starting to return slightly.  
"Grrrr." Fukawa growled.  
"Is that a smile?" Leon teased.  
"Yeah." Asahina quietly responded.  
"It's good to see it again."  
"ARGH." Fukawa clutched her head.  
"What's her problem?" Hagakure asked.  
"Beats me." Yamada said.  
"Oh wow, you two don't really get females at all." Celeste sighed.  
"No, it appears they do not." Fujisaki agreed.  
. At the same time, Maizono and Naegi were on their way to exploring the A/V Room.  
"Maizono, what good is exploring this room without Fujisaki?"  
"Naegi, this is the only room on the first floor Enoshima and I didn't explore."  
"Why?"  
"I don't know. Enoshima just didn't want to explore it."  
"Huh. Is that so? Wonder why."  
"That's why we should go in there now."  
"Hey, Maizono?"  
"Yes?"  
"Is the A/V Room even unlocked?" Naegi bit his lip. While it had been locked before the 'entrance ceremony', it had been unlocked before the first trial. There was always the chance that Monokuma had locked it again. So as long as Monokuma controlled what their access to the school was, there was an outside chance he could only get one look at any 'unusual' rooms. And if he only got one look into it, he wanted it to at least have Fujisaki there to study the computers inside, along with the ElectroIDs.  
"Well, Naegi, there's only one to check, now isn't there?" Maizono winked.  
"I guess so."  
"What are you so nervous about?"  
"I don't know."  
. The two walked to the A/V Room.  
"Is it unlocked?"  
"Yes."  
"Alrighty, then. Let's go in."  
. Considering all the build-up that the A/V Room had been given, it seemed oddly underwhelming to Naegi. Maybe it was because it had been under-cut by Naegi being in there a previous time, but it seemed the same as ever. As he gazed over a minature landscape of computers, and a projector, there wasn't really anything different.  
. Maizono, however, had noticed a box. In it were labelled Cds with everybody's names on it, including hers, Naegi's, Enoshima's, and Oogami's. She would have to come back later and watch them by herself. Without Naegi.  
"Maizono. Maizono?" Naegi asked.  
"It's nothing, Naegi. It's nothing at all."  
"Alright. If you say so."  
"Come on, I don't know what Enoshima was so worried about. There's nothing here."  
. While all of this was happening, and though Kirigiri and Ishimaru did find a fair amount of speakers and a few cameras that appeared to be de-activated, lined up on the perimeter of the wall, there appeared to be nothing else. Kirigiri stamped the carpet in several places with her heels and none of them came up with anything until she kicked a wall at a certain spot.  
"Ishimaru, there's something else here."  
"What?"  
"I found a room connected to the trial room. It's got a bed, a mini-fridge stocked up with food, and an adjacent bathroom."  
"Kirigiri, what are you doing?"  
"Ah. Fully functional water. I had no idea the plumbing of Hope's Peak Academy extended this far down."  
"How far down are we?"  
"I don't know. But judging from that elevator ride, it's quite a ways down."  
"I see. Now that we've found everything, let's head back."  
"I suppose you're right. Come on."  
. While Kirigiri and Ishimaru were heading back to the now-opened elevator, they failed to notice that one of the cameras had moved. Suddenly, the elevator snapped shut behind Ishimaru.  
"Kirigiri. Kirigiri!" Ishimaru began pound on the elevator door while he felt the elevator rise.  
. He was still pounding on the door when it opened again. Naegi and Maizono heard Ishimaru first.  
"Ishimaru! I thought you were with Kirigiri!"  
"I was. But the elevator shut on me before Kirgiri got on board."  
. The color drained out of the faces of Naegi AND Maizono. And suddenly the rest of the group came over.  
"What's going on?" Togami demanded. "Where is Kirigiri Kyoko, Kiyotaka Ishimaru? Don't tell me you already murdered her?"  
"But I didn't!" Ishimaru replied.  
"What happened?" Celeste asked.  
"You son of a bitch. You left her down there to die, didn't you?!" Oowada began crackling his knuckles.  
"No... I didn't!" Ishimaru replied.  
"Enough everybody. What. Happened?" Leon asked.  
"Kirigiri and I were exploring the trial room. We had just finished and I had gotten into the elevator, when it snapped shut and automatically brought me up." Ishimaru said.  
"That seems oddly suspicious." Fukawa said. "You left the mysterious girl alone. Perhaps you're her accomplice!"  
"Enough. Fukawa." Celeste said. "Kiyotaka Ishimaru is a squeaky-clean honors student with absolutely no infractions ever. If there's one person's word we have to absolutely trust in here, it's his."  
"That's rich. Coming from a girl who's obviously lying about everything, and known the world over as the Queen of Liars." Fukawa pointed out.  
"Silence, Fukawa. Why are you defending Ishimaru?" Togami asked.  
"Why are you jumping to conclusions?" Celeste responded. "If we didn't trust him somewhat, we wouldn't have left him alone with Kyoko Kirigiri, whom at this point, is this most likely suspect to be the mastermind. Besides, Kirigiri knew the risks. That trial room is the heart of the mastermind's lair."  
. And then, Monokuma showed up.  
"Upupupup. Ordinarily, I cut off access to the trial room outside of you know, trials? But I must say, it would be very interesting if someone could have even murdered someone else in the trial room itself even with this limited access and plausibly gotten away with it. A superb instance of The-Key-Is-Behind-The-Lock."  
"Another trope!" Fujisaki gasped.  
"But I never imagined someone staying behind to explore the trial room itself. That's new. And as Celeste so brilliantly said, that trial room is my liar."  
"Hmmmm." Naegi hummed.  
"What is it, Naegi?" Maizono asked.  
"I guess we have no choice but to take Ishimaru at his word. I just hope Kirigiri makes it."  
"Is that what everybody agrees to?" Oowada said.  
. Everybody begrudgingly affirmed the sentiment.  
"Oowada, you should still punch me." Ishimaru exclaimed.  
"What, now? Why?"  
"I wasn't smart enough. Kirigiri was obviously an important figure in this. I should have let her get on the elevator first."  
"Hey, now. You couldn't have known what was going to happen." Fujisaki smiled.  
"Yeah, well, I'm still not convinced." Fukawa muttered under her breath.  
"Hey, man. Life ain't a Model T. There's no reverse pedal to press, so you just gotta keep moving forward." Oowada replied.  
"What?" Togami said.  
"Damn it. Fujisaki. Naegi. Now you got me making extraneous references too." Oowada sighed.  
"I saw that the sauna was now open." Celeste said. "Perhaps you could clear your mind by going in there."  
"Hey, man. I challenge you to a bro-off!" Oowada said.  
"A Bro-Off?" Ishimaru said.  
"Yeah." Oowada gave Ishimaru a thumbs up. "Longest one to stay in the sauna wins. Tell ya what. I'll take a handicap. I'll go in with my clothes on."  
"But that's suicide."  
"Says you. But you know what, we need a judge. Naegi, you're up."  
"Why am I the judge?"  
"So you're telling me I have to join you guys in the sauna... until both of you get out?"  
"Yeah, man. It'll be great."  
"Truly, the spirits of men shall be bonded from this event." Ishimaru said, some of his old fire returning.  
"Oookkkayyy. Let me put this another way. If I stay in there, until you both get out, doesn't that mean I win this 'Bro-Off'?" Naegi snarked.  
"You know what, man, just wait outside." Oowada conceded.  
"And if I refuse to be the jud- Hey wait, stop dragging me!" Naegi cried.  
"Okay. Now what?" Togami asked.  
"So I guess we explore the second floor tomorrow, I don't think there's anything more we can do." Leon said, as he departed with Fujisaki and Yamada all going to their separate rooms.  
. Monokuma chuckled before disappearing. "Kirigiri will have no part to play until the next trial."  
"That's not surprising." Togami said. "Considering you went to the trouble of separating her from the rest of us."  
. The rest of the group could hear Naegi's cries of 'Help Me' from down the hall.  
"So that means Kirigiri is still alive." Celeste said.  
"Not necessarily." Fukawa said, twiddling her thumbs. "That just means Kirigiri could play victim for the next trial."  
"But why would Kirigiri need to be separated from us?" Celeste asked.  
"Well, what are her skill sets?" Togami asked.  
"Besides being mysterious." Fukawa said. "I still say she's quite obviously the mastermind."  
"And I still think she's a decoy." Celeste suggested. "An obvious trap."  
"Oh, that's rich. The Queen of Liars is suggesting to trust someone. Are you in love with her or something?"  
"No. I am not. Togami, you seem to be the only one in control of her. Can you get her to be quiet?" Celeste decided to circumvent the bespectacled girl.  
. Togami smirked.  
"But why do you think Kirigiri is a trap?" Togami said.  
"Because from a basic strategical standpoint, you leave an obvious decoy to keep people guessing."  
"But Kirigiri could be a fake decoy in order to mess with that preconceived notion." Hagakure suggested, and he left.  
"Yeah." Fukawa agreed. "I actually agree with the Shaman, Kirigiri could be a fake decoy."  
"But that would require all of us here to be of high intelligence." Celeste said. "And coming up with that complex strategy requires all of us to be too clever and a half."  
"And some of us are too dumb to fool. Is that what you're saying?" Togami said.  
"Yeah."  
"I see."  
. Maizono had followed Naegi to outside the sauna.  
"So are they still in there?"  
"Yeah."  
"No sign of them leaving any time soon."  
"I see."  
"Do you think Kirigiri will be alright? I'd hate to lose another person so soon."  
"She's still alive."  
"She is."  
. Naegi breathed a sign of relief, and Maizono couldn't help but fill a twinge of jealousy. Would he feel the same way if I had been in Kirigiri's position?Oh, what am I talking about? I would rather be in my position than her's. I mean, I'm with Naegi right now. And ...  
"What in the world were they thinking?" Asahina had appeared, cutting off Maizono's thoughts.  
"I don't know what they were thinking." Naegi said. "Maybe Oowada was trying to cheer up Ishimaru."  
"Yeah. That makes sense-h-ya-aa." Naegi yawned. "Today has been a stressful day. Do you think the two of you could cover as 'judge'?"  
"Sure." Asahina agreed. "Maizono?"  
"Alright."  
. Naegi left.  
"So Maizono..."  
"Asahina, stop. This isn't going make this conversation any less awkward."  
"Oh, please, we both know you're still head over heels for him."  
"And I could say same about Leon to you."  
"What?"  
"It's not properly ... developed yet. It's still in a stage where you could nip it in the bud if you chose to. Or if you want, you could let it develop. He's very taken with you."  
"Has he told you all this?"  
"No."  
"Then how do you know?"  
"Because ... I'm an esper."  
"Really?"  
"No."  
"So how do you know?"  
"Because I've seen it before."  
"With who?"  
"With myself and Naegi."  
"What?"  
"He had feelings for me back in middle school. I liked him back. But neither of us made a move."  
"So you're trying to make up for lost time."  
"Yeah. How about this? Tell me more about yourself."  
"Myself?"  
"Yeah. You're quite obviously full of energy."  
"Got a problem with it."  
"Nnono. Why?"  
"It's just... I'm used to people always saying the same thing. All the energy I have goes straight to my legs and none ever goes to my head."  
"Well, that's obviously not true."  
"No, I mean. Just because I like to wear shorts in the winter..."  
"Woah. How much energy do you have to expend in order to keep your body temperature up?"  
"A lot."  
"Yeah. So how much food do you eat?"  
. Asahina twiddled her thumbs. "A bit more than I care to admit."  
"Oh, come on. Obviously, it's not too much."  
"Hey, would you look at the time? Oowada, Ishimaru, get out of there! It's almost 10 PM!"  
"NEVER/NEVER!"  
. Asahina sighed, and walked over to the wall and flipped off the sauna.  
"Hey!" The two shouted in unison.  
"Sorry. You'll have to continue this tomorrow... Or rather later this afternoon."  
"Why?"  
"Because Naegi's already gone to bed."  
"What?! Why?"  
"Well, in fairness to Naegi.." Maizono pointed out. "He did get launched into a pile of bleachers earlier today."  
"I guess that's a good enough excuse." Oowada said. "Alright, Ishimaru, after exploring the second floor tomorrow, we'll re-start this!"  
"Yes, that is a good time."  
"Alright."  
. Asahina went back to her room. Maizono, however, headed straight back for the A/V Room.  
"Okay. It's still unlocked. Let's go."  
. Monokuma chuckled. "She's curious, but she won't like what she discovers."  
. Maizono found the video with her name on it. She popped it in, and was horrified at what she saw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, reviews are heavily appreciated. They are how I track the progress of my story. 
> 
> Februrary 2018 Appendage: I think I'll leave it to this point for a while here, a little bit after the first trial. I will of course continue to update the story here, but if you're really dying to read it, whatever else is written is available on FF.net.


End file.
